O2 in Bloomington, MN

Tonex
's debut offering, the 2000 release
Pronounced Toe-Nay
, established him as one of music's innovative forces. A top-notch producer, songwriter, arranger, musician, dancer, and vocalist,
has a sound that incorporates influences of
Prince
and
Michael Jackson
into his own immense talents. His 2002 release,
O2
, is more vibrant and upbeat than his darker-hued debut offering. More than anything else,
showcases
's ability as a vocalist, the one area that many who have followed the career of this artist often overlook. For starters, there are a number of beautifully arranged
ballads
that allow
to stretch out and exercise his vocal chops. There's the sparsely produced,
traditional gospel
-flavored
"God Has Not 4got"
; the string-filled song about heaven,
"The Beautiful Place"
;
"Seasons,"
which features
joined by his wife,
Yvonne "Ms. Tonex" Williams
; and the love song he wrote for his wife,
"You."
When it comes time to party,
holds nothing back. The songs best describing
's "party all the time" attitude are the beat-driven
"'Bout a Thang"
and the
pop
-flavored title track. The 17 songs making up
push all musical boundaries, which in reality is a very good thing. ~ Tim Smith