Lathun, another signing by Kedar Massenburg (the new-millennium Motown impresario who backed Erykah Badu and Remy Shand, among others), debuted with a collection of smooth, downtempo love jams. Fortunate certainly isn't lacking in soul; Lathun's falsetto is rangy, strong, and devastatingly evocative. He's also a solid songwriter who produced most of the tracks here, with the spidery-thin guitar and keyboard washes that speak to the heavy '70s influence found here, there, and everywhere on contemporary R&B releases. One of the highlights, "When Love Came In," matches Lathun with India.Arie, both singers striving to spread more honey than the other (it's a draw). Another song, "Sweetest Thing," is just that, though as pleasant as it sounds, Lathun can't hide the similarities to D'Angelo (or isn't interested in trying). Unlike Remy Shand's The Way I Feel, though, Fortunate simply can't rise above its inspirations to become a stand-alone record for 2002. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Lathun (Instrumentation), Lathun (Keyboards), Carl Robinson (Guitar), Lathun (Drums), Mark Batson (String Arrangements), Mark Batson (Organ), Robert Sims (Art Direction), Kedar Massenburg (Executive Producer), Eileen Folson (Strings), Carl Robinson (Engineer), Christian Lantry (Photography), Marlene Rice (Strings), Robert Watson (A&R), Chris Gehringer (Mastering), Bernard Belle (Producer), India.Arie (Performer), Alvin Speights (Mixing), Mark Batson (Programming), Kim Lee (Creative Coordinator), Benjamin Love (Harmonica), Lathun (Producer), Alvin Speights (Engineer), Raymond Watkins (Drums), Lathun (Vocals (Background)), Kelly Nelon Thompson (Production Coordination), Bernard Belle (Engineer), The Castaways (Vocals (Background)), Mark Batson (Producer), Nioka Workman (Strings), Carl Robinson (Mixing), Eric Schlotzer (Engineer), Robert Sims (Design), Avery Johnson (Vocal Engineer), Judith Insell (Strings), Mark Batson (String Conductor), Raymond Watkins (Bass), Sandy Brummels (Creative Director), Lathun (Mixing), Raymond Watkins (Producer), Gloria Smith (Vocals (Background)), Bernard Belle (Mixing), Lathun (Engineer), Mark Batson (Guitar (Bass)), Mark Batson (Keyboards)
