Inside of You

by Alex HendersonWhen new jack swing (urban contemporary's dominant trend of the late '80s and early '90s) saw its popularity fade in the mid-'90s, Aaron Hall's supporters contended that the former Guy singer had enough talent to survive. They were right -- his post-Guy solo efforts weren't remarkable, and some of them were erratic and forgettable, but Hall came up with enough decent material to indicate that we should continue to keep an eye on him. No one can claim that Hall wasn't influential; his style of belting (sort of Charles Wilson of the Gap Band by way of Steve Arrington and Stevie Wonder) influenced many of the young "jeep soul" artists who were popping up left and right in the '90s. Inside of You isn't all that different from Guy's slower material. If you removed the up-tempo, rap-heavy new jack swing that dominated Guy's albums and were left with nothing but ballads and slow jams, you'd have something similar to Inside of You (minus Teddy Riley's input, of course). Hall is in lover man mode throughout the CD, which favors slow burners and offers nothing for the dancefloor. The overall result is a disc that is slightly stronger than his previous solo efforts and is often enjoyable, even if it is rather predictable.