Macy has one of those voices that either draws you in, or puts you off. (Think Jennifer Tilly crossed with Billie Holliday.) Number me among those very drawn in. This album, to me, epitomizes what is truly great about black music. If you were playing an old Al Green record at 33 1/3 and then switched it up to 45, that's what Spacy Macy sounds alot like. In fact the fourth track, "I Try," is painfully reminiscent of Green's "Let's Stay Together." I think it's the most wonderfully catchy song I've heard all year.

The balance of the album finds Gray as the desperate lover who dotes on her man despite the beating her heart may take. She plays the shameless sexual provocateur, in much the same manner as the artist formerly designated by a symbol, and that's the albums chief weakness. (Not that I'm not sick of "Girl Power," but she plays the willing victim a little too much.)

Whether you call it 70's retro-soul, or R&B with an edge, itÕs good stuff. If the Jeffersons threw a party, this is the kind of music they'd play. With all due props to Lauryn and Erykah, it recalls an era when black singers relied more on their talent and soul, and less on their producer.