Born into the Minnesota R&B scene of the 1980s, Mint Condition was
more like slick but sweat-inducing soul classicists Maze and the
Commodores than souped-up neighbors such as the Time and Prince. Mint
Condition used some of the synth, slap and tickle that made the Purple
One reign, but vocalist Stokley Williams had a rich and passionate
tone that bordered on the insistent. The harmonies were silken, the
rhythms swinging, and the band's overall musicality earthen and live.
There was, and continues to be, something hearty and tactile about
Mint Condition's husky sound, a touchy tradition they follow with
elegant, funky aplomb on the heel-clicking "I Want It" and the quietly
thundering "Can't Get Away." There's a sonic depth to those tunes you
simply don't (or can't) hear in nouvelle AutoTuned R&B. That density
carries over to the emotionalism of songs such as the woozily
mid-tempo "Walk On" and "Not My Daddy" (with singer Kelly Price), with
their sad sentiment intact but without treacle. They even have a tune
about moms ("Unsung"). Dag. With just a hint of hip-hop swagger to
make 7 . . . minty fresh, this is what honest, open, mature soul
sounds like. Pay attention.

- A.D. Amorosi