I consider myself among those who are music lovers; always looking for something new and inspiring. Unfortunately, most new music falls alarmingly short of the mark. But, every once in a while we are treated to music that breaks barriers and forges new musical territory. These works renew our quest for new and exciting musical experiences. Some music brings back the to the present the greatness of the past and in turns earns accolades for itself. "As I See It" by Raphael Saadiq is such a work.The disk is true to its roots from the "David Ruffinesque" cover and great musical content "Sure Hope You Mean It" and "Calling", a mournful song of unrequited love, are incredible songs.If you are old enough, listening to this disk will recall the days of The Temptations, The Miracles and the rest of the Motown group of stars. If not, you will soon understand why Motown was so popular and why this genre was known as "soul music". The music is melodic and the lyrics never fail to strike an emotional chord that you can identify with. The reference to and homage paid to former stars does not overtake the work. This disk has modern production values and is as current as today's news.Raphael Saadiq has taken a tried and true form of music and brought it today's audience with the heart and soul of yesterday and the production and instrumentation of today. This is a great work of art that I hope will make its way into the public consciousness for many years to come.