Adult R&B chart-topper continues our mild enthusiasm…

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[5.67]

Alfred Soto: A strummed hook that Color Me Badd and Babyface might have enjoyed animates this adult R&B hit with a couple of surprising chord changes that justify its length.
[7]

Thomas Inskeep: Of course this recently topped the Adult R&B chart; even though Ross is young (and this single leads off his debut album), he’s got an older soul and is loaded with talent. He’s also a romantic, which certainly helps when making what I affectionately refer to as “grown folks R&B.” The songwriting brings to mind the classicism of Babyface, and Ross has got a damned pretty voice, too.
[7]

Cassy Gress: When I was a freshman in college, I lived in a dorm on the same floor as a girl who blasted Ginuwine’s “Differences” on endless repeat. Whatever enjoyment I may have been able to get out of that song was bashed into oblivion. “Long Song Away” loops B minor-A minor stubbornly and gently enough to remind me of hearing that muffled keyboard pattern and bass every day from four rooms down, but if she really was playing this, it probably would have taken me a lot longer to get annoyed. The “slow down and let’s dance to the radio” sentiment makes me roll my eyes a little, but if this song is any indication, Kevin Ross would be stubborn and gentle enough to convince her to go along with it.
[6]

Tim de Reuse: This is a slow-down song based off of a workable but barely-evolving four-bar loop, thus offloading all the heavy lifting to Ross’s voice. He sounds squarely in his element and occasionally delivers a nice melodic turn, but it’s all rigidly unambitious, aiming for nothing higher than “pleasant.” The only sensation it evokes is something like sitting through a beautiful day off with absolutely nothing to do.
[6]

Will Adams: The production, a heat haze of unsteady minor chords and soft handclaps, is an R&B dream, but Ross can’t match it. While technically competent most of the time, he slips into nasal territory too easily on the longer notes, and I often find myself more drawn to the hushed backing vocals.
[4]

Crystal Leww: This is like watching a child put on a tuxedo and trying to act grown. Kevin Ross is undoubtedly talented with a nice voice, but there’s a reason why urban adult contemporary belongs with folks like Babyface and Toni Braxton. This passes by like a breeze when it should feel a lot more dramatic. 
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