On his second album of urban adult contemporary, singer/songwriter Eric Benet scores with a series of mellow grooves and sizzling duets aimed at both the body and brain. A Day in the Life is sharper than contemporary R&B, keeping the arrangements and production simple, all the while nodding toward the genre's golden era of the '70s (which is also evident in the album's Toto and Kansas covers). Benet does, however, play the same loverman role on most of the songs here, never quite allowing them or his tranquil voice to stretch (and sometimes breathe). The best cuts, though -- Toto's "Georgy Porgy" with Faith Evans and "Spend My Life With You" (featuring Tamia) -- are velvety modern soul soaked in traditional sounds. ~ Michael Gallucci