Kevin Lyttle - Kevin Lyttle (2004)

Even as dancehall further installs itself as a sellable pop/R&B sound in the U.S., St. Vincent native Kevin Lyttle arrives with a sexy, party-ready variant on soca (soul-calypso). "Turn Me On," the single that ensured this album's release in the States, is a three-years-in-the-making hit that pushes the singer's lithesome voice into an irresistible organic-electronic track (the CD also offers a remix with reggae hard man Spragga Benz and a video for the song). The rest of the album keeps the groove up, making for one of the most likeable, boundary-breaking successes in recent memory; a cover of Terence Trent D'Arby's "Sign Your Name" is a timely reminder of that singer's late-'80s heyday. An even more likely follow-up smash, though, is the bumping "My Lady." Don't be surprised if Lyttle has kicked off a welcome new sound-fad in America, with more soca stars arriving quickly.