Dwele's music caused such excitement because of its fresh sound, combining elements of the two currently most popular genres (hip-hop and R&B), and giving them a new twist with a soulful and '70s vibe. Add to this Dwele's accomplised songwriting and smooth voice and the reasons for the net-buzz become clear.

That smooth voice is showcased at its purest on Kick Out Of You, surrounded by electric piano (the most common instrument on the album), gentle double bass, and a jazzy fuzzed up hi-hat loop. Arrangement-wise, this is one of the simpler tracks on the album, but it shows off Dwele's tune-smith abilities.

If you're looking for something more complex, then the title track Subject is the place to go. Beginning with a string arpeggio reminiscent of those found under many recent rap records, it segues into an immensely impressive chorus. The hummable chorus flows with its gentle record static effects, ticking clock, and trickling bells.

This effective combining of sounds is a theme running through the best parts of the album, including Money Don't Mean A Thing - a track surely worthy of a single release. The strings and muddy sounds lie underneath and clash with the mid-tempo guitar loop, giving this number a unique feel.

Such clashes illustrate another attractive element of Dwele's approach. In the same way that hip-hop and R&B play loose with their rhythms and loops, so Subject takes elements of soul and jazz and fuzzes them up or puts them slightly out of time, creating fresh sounding arrangements.

Other fresh sounding tracks that beg for attention on Subject are the unusually structured and hip-hop rhythm driven Lady at Mahogany, the tuneful opening track Truth (where Dwele's not insignificant lyric-writing skills come to the fore), and Possible - where an electric piano metamorphoses into a concert grand during the chorus.

Because the soul sound is the strongest common thread here, Dwele has been touted as nu-soul. Indeed anyone who really dislikes soul and mellow electric piano isn't going to enjoy Subject. And those that find smooth riffing vocals irritating and prefer traditional pop melodies, won't bond with this Detroit song-writer's output.

But what makes Subject exciting is that it could be called "nu-R&B" as much as it could be called nu-soul. And that's what makes it seem like a visionary extension of much current chart output. It has the potential for turning a generation of R&B fans into soul fans without them even realizing it.

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