It’s surely the only high-profile coupling that isn’t doomed from it’s inception. Music and fashion are true soul mates. A fashion show without a kicking base line just doesn’t have any verve and a musician without a signature look doesn’t usually hold our attention long.

And so as I sat at the Tracey Reese show on Sunday, I expected to love the nature-inspired looks she presented for spring 2009, but I didn’t expect to be so enchanted by the rhythms she played to accompany her fashions down the aisle. There was something intoxicating about the melancholy edge of the innocence lost lyrics. Maybe it was the acoustic guitar introduction that spun into an energetic orchestral movement accompanied by a chorus of child-like voices. I listened for hints of the main artist despite the distraction of a full-blown New York fashion show taking place. And the clothes were great silhouettes of pendulum skirts, feminine applique and linen eyelet trousers, but was that Seal singing (no, a little too rough for him).

The music is supposed to lend to the ambience, not be a distraction, but I found myself jotting down the lyrics in addition to noting Reese’s fabric choices and hem lines.

The music was so enchanting that I almost thought I’d heard the song before in some place that was dimly lit and smoky drifting feintly through the darkness in the small hours of the morning, but I didn’t know or recognize it. I did know that I’d be Googling and downloading it to my iPod as soon as I was home. The song felt contemporary, but it could have easily been one of those timeless, ahead of it’s generation musical offerings from the jazz era. I wouldn’t have been surprised either way. But ultimately I was surprised by the source.

The raspy pleading of the singer seems like something that could seep into the soul of anyone who’s felt a little romantic pain, because the song titled after the haunting chorus “Love makes you beautiful” comes across as more of a lament than as a testimonial.

It is from the debut album of Terrence Howard, the Academy and Golden Globe nominated actor, best known for singing a song I’d rather forget and will not repeat from “Hustle and Flow.” But this album, “Shine Through it,” which just hit stores on September 2, has forever redeemed Howard in my ears. He strikes me as cocky and conceited whenever he’s in character or being interviewed as himself to tell you the truth, but music is transformative, I guess. Or maybe it’s the fact that his demeanor is so unapologetically unpolished, unless of course we’re talking about his clothes. He’s the epitome of the well-dressed man. Despite a full-head of hair, he loves his hats and he looks great in a jacket and vest. And we just love a man who’s not afraid of color and Howard knows how to wear it for maximum effect.

Though Howard’s vocal range is limited, there are a few songs that are pretty darn great. A few of the arrangements are smooth and bluesy and the orchestral bits combine with his gravelly vocals to make a riveting soundtrack. I can’t help but think of some of my favorite wonderfully imperfect voices Nina Simone, Seal and Lauren Hill, but he’s not in that league yet and he may never last long enough to merit such a mention again. There are a few songs on his introductory album that over reach or perhaps under reach, but its forgivable. At his best he mines his acting talent to truly give the music not just life, but emotional depth. I bet he would sing a mean rendition of “You don’t know what love is.” He’s certainly not afraid to dabble in different styles, including hip-hop, blue-collar rock, a Latin instrumental, spoken word and the blues, which are all explored in “Shine Through It.”

Listen to my new favorite melancholy melody from Howard on YouTube here.