Veteran

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It's not often you think of a swaggering R&B star as an underdog, but Marques Houston fits the profile: when he's not being compared with his step-brother Omarion, he's held up as another smoothie rummaging around in Usher's bag of tricks. Veteran should fix that. Most of these songs, thickened by thump-thump beats or pushed in a playful direction by handclaps, play like valentines--titles like "Favorite Girl," "Wonderful," and "Exclusively" give a sense of where Houston is headed. Sincerity, not empty come-ons, is the thing: "Kimberly," a sexy number about a legendary voyeur, could have been all steam and no substance, but Houston works up a vocal that's smoky and soul-flavored. He steps up again on "How You Just Gonna"--the emphasis may be on the physical ("touchin', shakin', takin', and freakin'" come up) but the delivery is deep-down emotional. What Houston is a veteran of never comes clear. But as of this release, his days of being a second-tier celebrity are numbered. --Tammy La Gorce