Joy

After a car crash paralyzed Teddy, everyone thought it would silence soul music's sexiest voice. He came back, though, reinventing himself as a singer who relied on nuance rather than power, finding sensuality in whispers over screams. Joy is the best example of Teddy's new game, finding him more energized, excited, and confident than he'd been in years. The title track jams on an easy but potent groove and the album's closer, "Can We Be Lovers" twists with all the anguish he was able to muster in his prime. In between are slinky midnight grooves that tease and taunt in ways that few soul records of the '80s could touch.