B+ E-Life

(Image Entertainment)

LAST BAND STANDING: As of 2008, Mint Condition, formed nearly 20 years ago, remains the sole self-contained R&B band of its generation. Although the St. Paul, Minn., quintet is best known for sensual ballads and a classically contemporary approach to soul music, its staying power comes from a willingness to experiment. Its sixth studio album blends a computer-driven edge as the band explores love and relationships via the Internet.

CREATIVE COMBINATIONS: A departure from 2005's Livin' the Luxury Brown, this CD features more guest appearances and less live instrumentation. Anthony Hamilton brings gritty conviction to the funky pro-child anthem "Baby Boy, Baby Girl," and a girlfriend's duplicitous behavior in "Somethin'," featuring Phonte of Little Brother, evokes a sinewy edge in band leader Stokley Williams' otherwise supple tenor. "Why Do We Try" is one of their most intriguing songs to date, anchoring desolate lyrics to a track scratched and synthesized to eerie perfection by A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

BOTTOM LINE: It updates the group's traditional approach while preserving its inimitable appeal.

Lorrie Irby Jackson