Every year the critics are ready to proclaim the death of soul music. Moaning to one another about the days when Curtis Mayfield, Barry White and Marvin Gaye once walked the earth like musical giants, sometimes they sleep when something fresh does come along.

Having perfected his craft as a young artist by releasing numerous mixtapes and performing throughout his hometown of Washington, D.C., Raheem DeVaughn was determined from the beginning to be the best.