The Appetizer starts off with "N2U," a free-form duet with
Marsha Ambrosius where both artists sing freestyled, off-the-cuff lyrics over what could pass for an early-'90s
Pete Rock beat. It's followed by "What I Gotta Do?" and its early
Dilla-esque production where
Roberson, as usual, displays his knack for marrying breezy new-soul grounded with an authentic hip-hop sound core. The album as a whole is a varied one, with everything from odes to '90s R&B duets ("The Moon") to songs like "Hesitation," which isn't satisfied until it takes a coda detour. It's a more than solid effort by one of the era's most consistent artists. ~ Vincent Thomas