Timed perfectly for the slow-jam revival: reissues of albums by Al Green and Marvin Gaye, the kings of romance 'n' soul, two of the greatest R&B singers - and slow jammers - ever. Singers from Luther Vandross to Michael Bolton have cited one or both of the seductive singers as influences.

Plenty of slow jams pepper Motown's four-CD box set, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: The 35th Anniversary Collection. Robinson's song Quiet Storm gave its name and became the theme song for the nation's archetypal slow-jam radio program, hosted by the late Melvin Lindsey in Washington, D.C., in the '70s.

In fact, most of the R&B/pop acts in the Top 20 are charting with slow jams, including Mariah Carey with the inspirational Anytime You Need a Friend, Aaron Hall and his teary-eyed I Miss You and R. Kelly with the seductive Your Body's Calling.