Ryan Leslie is better known as a producer and marketing man than a performer; the 30-year-old Harvard grad's spare beats and media savvy helped make Cassie a star, but his 2005 debut album saw light in Europe only. Now that he's finally got a stateside release, what's surprising is how ego-free it feels.

Inevitably, Ryan Leslie is a producer's record; its cutest moments — neo-New Jack bounces, lonely electro loops, nursery-rhyme Auto-Tunes — are studio gold. Last year's lead single, "Diamond Girl," shoves too much retro soul in your face. But Leslie is one R&B singer who knows how to drop to his knees and leap to his falsetto: Hey, single ladies, this is a guy who'll put a ring on it.