CD Review: Keyshia Cole's A Different Me

I recognized Keyshia Cole's talent from the moment she stepped onto the R&B scene, yet I couldn't help but consider her a second-rate Mary J. Blige. Though her debut album The Way It Is was critically acclaimed, Keyshia's star didn't rise until the release of her fifth single "Love"--a timeless ballad with such raw vocals that it touched the hearts of hundreds of teen girls... and me.

Her sophomore release Just Like You turned out Keyshia's most noteworthy single yet, the Missy Elliott and Lil Kim assisted "Let It Go", which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the R&B charts. The album produced three number one R&B hits and moved Ms. Cole from being "second-rate" to her debatable place as this generation's Mary J.

The surprise factor comes in when one considers that Keyshia has (very early in her career) achieved a task that Blige has yet to tackle--creating a cohesive album with happier themes. Sure, the modern queen of R&B has turned out happier singles such as "Family Affair" and "Just Fine", but neither of the albums which these songs appeared on received universally pleasant reviews.

The intro to Ms. Cole's third album A Different Me introduces us to a "a sexier side" of the diva in the making. It's followed up by "Make Me Over" a Polow da Don produced, go-go tinged tune that sounds like it could find a place in Amerie's discography next to "1 Thing". With a track titled "Erotic" but two tracks away, one can't deny that we're getting the, ahem, sexy side of the singer. Themes of love, sexuality and romantic optimism flow flawlessly throughout this project, pulled off spectacularly from a singer who's known for her skills of vocally expressing heartbreak and vulnerability.

Sure, I may just have a soft spot for the gal after watching a marathon of her BET reality show (starring her real-life recovering crackhead mother and alcoholic sister), but I'm speaking purely for the music. This is a solid R&B album full of baby-making bedroom tunes that achieves the goal of showing a new side of the star without sacrificing her identity. While I'm uncertain about the commercial success of A Different Me, due in large part to the floppy 2pac-featuring single "Playa Cardz Right", it has my critical praise.

Just wait until Cole targets the whiter pop audience with the release of "This Is Us", her own power-pop combo of Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable" and Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry". If her label is smart enough to give the song proper promotion, the track will inevitably dominate R&B, adult contemporary and pop radio and turn her into the household name she should be.