It's been three years since the songwriting duo Zhané (Renee Neufville and Jean Norris) released Pronounced Jah-Nay, but the album's lighthearted sexy-groove tunes still stand out among the legion of new R&B groups on the old soul bandwagon. With its party-down message and cool, mildly retro soul sound, Saturday Night, Zhané's second effort, is more of the same, and that ain't a bad thing.

Saturday Night, like its predecessor, is an old-fashioned ode to good times. The new single picks up where the first hit, "Hey Mr. DJ," left off. "Request Line" is about a girl calling her local radio station, longing to hear the DJ pick up and say, "Hey there, Baby Boo/Just tell me what I can play for you." Even when Zhané muse on love, it's in an innocent, Carole King kind of way. One addictive, Latin-tinged ballad is called "Crush," for example, and "Just Like That" says a beau's affection is "warmer than sunshine," like "a day in spring."

Indeed, Saturday Night is so light that it threatens to float away on the first listen. Zhané's vocals don't soar, and the hooks don't stun. But the duo's sexy, smooth sound will – at the very least – make you move. To round out Saturday Night, Zhané perform a rendition of Chic's "Good Times" (produced by Kay Gee of Naughty by Nature). It's the perfect choice of a cover for these classic good-time girls. (RS 762)

LAURA JAMISON