It’s been 17 years since Tevin Campbell last released an album, which is hard to wrap one’s head around.
The kid from Texas with the big voice hasn’t been totally AWOL during the gap following 1999’s solid (but underappreciated) self-titled album. He shifted his talents to the Broadway stage and has made sporadic guest appearances on other artists’ records (most notably adding his pipes to a re-touch of Quincy Jones’ “The Secret Garden” a few years back). But, after teasing his fans with the promise of new music for the last several years, Tevin makes his official return with the swelling ballad “Safer On The Ground.”
Tevin, who-believe it or not-turns 40 this year, still has the pipes for sure. “Safer” doesn’t capitulate to pop trends, thankfully. It could’ve been a hit alongside 1991’s “Tell Me What You Want Me To Do”, but it doesn’t sound dated either. A release date for a full album hasn’t been announced yet, but you’d better believe I’ll be getting my hands on a copy when it does finally come out. Welcome back, Tevin. You’ve been sorely missed.