The neo-soul movement gets another shot in the arm this June with the release of the debut album by Detroit singer/songwriter/producer Lathun. The set, entitled Fortunate, is due June 11 and features an appearance by Lathun's Motown labelmate India.Arie on the song "When Love Came In." Lathun penned 10 of the album's 13 tracks.

Describing his music as "very passionate, very personal," Lathun says his album incorporates elements of hip-hop, R&B, classical and Latin — a mixture that crosses genre boundaries and makes Lathun a sure bet to wear the inevitable neo-soul tag. That, says Lathun, is not something he's altogether comfortable with. "To be put into that category is a good thing in one sense because a lot of those artists are great," he explains. "I love D'Angelo. I love Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, but on the other hand, it's telling people that you are only one thing and that's it. And that's the part of it I don't like because it almost puts you in a box and says that's all you do and you're not able to deviate from that. As far as I'm concerned, I love all kinds of music. I love hip-hop, I like rock and roll, I like jazz, I like R&B, I like blues, so all of those elements I like to try to put into my music and I don't want to be limited as an artist. If I want to go do a song with Jay-Z, I want to go do it and feel comfortable and not have my audience feel alienated."

The freedom to indulge his eclectic leanings was not always afforded Lathun. The 25-year-old was originally signed to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings, a house known for hip-hop and edgy R&B, not neo-soul or alternative music. "They're more of a street element," he says of the label, "which is cool, but it didn't fit what I wanted to do as an artist. I was doing different things and I think they wanted me to be something different than who I am, but a lot of the songs that are on my album now were on the album I was working on then. I was still who I am."

The second single from Fortunate will be a feel-good summer song called "BBQ." Lathun says the album, which he produced along with Mark Batson, Ray Watkins, and the Pitch Black team, comes from a "very vulnerable place. It's honest, it's something that I really did experience." And, he adds, it reflects his Detroit roots. "Musically, I think you'll get a little of everything because I have a lot of influences." Most notable among them, he says, are Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

Now residing in the house that Kedar Massenburg built, Lathun says he feels that he's in the right place at the right time and he's ready for his closeup. "I've never been more ready," he affirms. "I think I'm at my best as an artist even though I think I'm gonna excel even more. As far as what people will think of me, I don't know. I write what I feel and I write what's close to my heart. Hopefully people will enjoy what I do and be able to relate to it. But ultimately, as an artist, I think that's what we all really want to know. Does anyone else feel my pain? Does anyone else understand where I'm coming from?"