** 1/2 LSG, “LSG,” EastWest. Teaming powerhouse...

** 1/2 LSG, “LSG,” EastWest. Teaming powerhouse vocalists Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill for a recording project is a concept that sounds good on paper. On their own they sell loads of records, and each possesses a gloriously distinctive R&B; style. But there is a reticence in their work together. You can feel them trying not to out-sing one another, and there’s not much rugged, take-no-prisoners vocalizing in effect here.

The problem isn’t the material, although tracks such as “My Body” and “Where Did I Go Wrong” cry out for a fired-up remix. Most of the songs are solid. “Door #1” and “My Side of the Bed” would probably be dynamic in a live setting.

If the trio would ditch the conservative approach, this album would be 10 times more satisfying. Guest artists such as Faith Evans, MC Lyte and the LOX provide more spark during their brief input than Levert, Sweat and Gill do on the entire effort.

From lesser talents, a record like this would probably be more than acceptable. But given the collective gifts these guys possess, it’s hard not to feel short-changed.

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* Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two (fair), three (good) and four (excellent).