GRADE: A

Lets be honest, to the casual listener, “Neo-Soul” artists like Cody ChesneTT, Van Hunt, Raphael Saadiq and Raheem DeVaughn all sound pretty much the same. They release similar sounding albums and tend to get similar responses from fans. With Love Behind the Melody, Raheem DeVaughn strives to elevate his sound without leaving his fans behind. Thankfully, he succeeds.

Much of the production on Love Behind the Melody is stellar. Music giants like Bryan-Michael Cox, Scott Storch and Chucky Thompson lend their talents to an album that manages to improve upon the template of DeVaughn’s impressive debut, The Love Experience. This more streamlined and mainstream quality works (even in spite of itself). On “Customer,” we look past the song’s eerie resemblance to J. Holiday’s monster hit “Bed,” and just trust that great minds must think alike. Besides, Love Behind the Melody is the kind of album that lives in its own vibe. The smooth and sexy mood that emits from the speakers makes it easy to forgive any of the album’s shortcomings.

Love Behind the Melody may not prove to be Raheem DeVaughn’s break into mainstream consciousness, but it will definitely expand his fan base. Raheem DeVaughn is more talented than the bulk of R&B singers out there, it’s only a matter of time before the world knows it.

GRADE: B–

Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams team up in “First Sunday.” A rare film that manages to be sickeningly warm and fuzzy while still legitimately funny.

First Sunday doesn’t have the sophisticated wit of Barbershop or the charm of Friday. However, it generates enough genuine belly-laughs to make it watchable. The cast (primarily, the under-utilized Katt Williams) save the film from the after school special that first-time Director David E. Talbert has set up. The plot follows Ice Cube as Durell, a down and out father who needs to raise money to keep his babymomma from taking his son away to Atlanta. Meanwhile, his scheming friend (and serial codefendant) LeeJohn (played by 30 Rock’s Tracey Morgan) is in deep debt to some Jamaican gangsters after he loses their chrome-plated wheelchairs. So, what can they do? Break into a church and take the building fund. The whole set up feels like 2 parts Tyler Perry play, 2 parts Jerry Springer.

The movie doesn’t really take off until the secondary characters are brought in. Once inside the church, Durell and LeeJohn discover that there are several meetings going on that night and decide to hold all of the church personnel hostage until they find the money. The choir directer (Katt Williams), Pastor (Chi McBride), his daughter (Malinda Williams), Deacon (Michel Beach) and a few church ladies (Loretta Devine, Ricky Smiley, Olivia Cole) are the only ones that matter. Somehow, the presence of Katt Williams suddenly makes the movie tolerable, even enjoyable.

The whole film is painfully predictable, preachy, infeasible and completely inaccurate in terms of the American legal system. However, the cast is superb to the point that you will wonder what made them accept this dull script. The saving grace of First Sunday is the fact that it is a comedy. In that regard, the plot is no more ridiculous than Billy Madison or National Lampoon’s Vacation. It’s the kind of movie that is charming and funny enough to make you look past it’s tragic flaws and just enjoy yourself.

GRADE: B

Snoop Dogg has a new pseudo-reality show on VH-1. But Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood feels more like a Curb Your Enthusiasm style improvisational show than a reality show.

Perhaps comparing this show to Curb is a bit hasty. Snoop is funny guy and thankfully the show’s initial episodes place him clever situations. However, it feels like something is missing. There is a dryness to Father Hood that leaves the viewer feeling unfufilled.

David Beckham’s fish-out-of-water guest appearnce is interesting. Snoop’s trip to the accupuncturist is funnier than it sounds and his whole family is likeable. Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood is a show worth watching, but after some retooling could actually be pretty damn good.