From the Soul of Man

In 1996, Lattimore released his self-titled debut album with Columbia Records. The album reached a peak of number 19 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and sold more than 527,000 copies domestically. Third single For You" emerged as the album's biggest hit with sales in excess of 391,000 units. For his next project with the label, Lattimore consulted musicians Daryl Simmons, Barry J. Eastmond, and Dre & Vidal to work with him on new material. Although he was working with some of them for the first time, he considered the album a continuation of its predecessor. Lyrically, Lattimore described From the Soul of Man as a deeply personal project, rooted in his understanding of what true love really means, telling Billboard: "I wanted to talk about the depth of relationships and say things that men don't normally say about love or forget to say [...] I decided to dig a little deeper, to talk more about my personal experiences as well as experiences of other men I knew personally. From The Soul of Man is like lifting the lid off of some of our [black men's] secrets without revealing too much." ==Promotion==

From the Soul of Mans lead single "Days Like This," co-written and produced by Lattimore with Vidal Davis, was released to US radios on July 20, 1998 and peaked at number 84 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number four on Billboards Adult R&B Songs chart. Re-released with soulful Nuyorican soul house mixes, produced by Masters at Work, the track climbed to number 26 on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It also topped the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles in early 1999 within the three weeks of its appearance on the chart. == Critical reception ==

Critics uniformly lauded this album as a great leap from Lattimore' debut on the scene two years prior to this largely mature effort. AllMusic editor Michael Gallucci rated the album three out of five stars and wrote: "Despite its lumbering length and some slick, late-'90s R&B formalities, Lattimore's second album is a real treat. Combining smooth grooves with an even silkier voice, [he] shifts from bedroom operator to new jack king with an ease that seems neither forced nor affected on From the Soul of Man." He concluded: "When Lattimore gently soaks in the material, From the Soul of Man is truly a spirited affair." Billboard editor Paul Verna felt that From the Soul of Man had a "song for just about every listener. Lattimore pulls out all the creative stops to help showcase his full vocal capacity. Much as he did on his self-titled debut, Lattimore continues to target many of his songs toward both men and women. A great majority of the tracks [...] lay out the intricacies of real '90s relationships from the black male point of view." == Commercial performance ==

In the United States, the album peaked at number 71 on the Billboard 200. Sales of the album took off again in 2020 after The Last Dance showed American former professional basketball player Michael Jordan discussing with reporters an advance copy of what Lattimore later confirmed was From the Soul of Man. ==Track listing==

Notes • denotes co-producer(s) == Personnel ==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of From the Soul of Man. Performers and musicians • Sue Ann Carwell – backing vocalist • Vidal Davis – instruments • Azel Dixon – hammond • Bruce Dukov – concertmaster • Earle D. Dumler – oboe • Ronnie Grant – bass • Philip Hamilton – bass guitar • Andre Harris – drums • Sonny Lallerstedt • Kenny Lattimore – vocalist • Kenny Lerum – instruments • Pat McClain – bass, piano • Frank McComb – organ, rhodes • LaFerron Miles, Jr. – backing vocalist • Tia Mintz – backing vocalist • Tim Motzer – guitar • Dean Parks – guitar • Pink – backing vocalist • James Poyser, bass, rhodes • Guy Roche – keyboards • Richard J. Todd – horn • James Townes – bass Technical • Walter Afanasieff – producer • Dre & Vidal – mixing engineer, producer • Barry J. Eastmond – producer • David Foster – producer • Jon Gass – mixing engineer • Mick Guzauski – mixing engineer • Carvin Haggins – producer • Steve Hall – mastering engineer • Booker T. Jones – mixing engineer • Kipper Jones – producer • Kenny Lattimore – producer • Kenny Lerum – producer • Tony Maserati – mixing engineer • James Poyser – producer • Brian Reeves – mixing engineer • Guy Roche – producer • Daryl Simmons – producer • Jeff Townes – producer ==Charts==