KEY POINTS:
KEYSHIA COLE
Just Like You - International Deluxe Version
(Geffen Records)
Rating: * * *
Verdict: A potential successor to Mary J Blige's throne.
Mariah, take note. This is what an R&B record should sound like. On her second studio effort, Keyshia Cole delivers a solid line-up of club jams, ballads, self-empowerment anthems and even the odd reggae bounce, all with her own flavour.
Even when joined by some of hip hop's biggest stars including Missy Elliot, Lil' Kim, Diddy, Sean Paul and Kanye West Cole holds her own, her powerful voice shining through.
At times, she is guilty of over-singing, as on the heart-wrenching ballad Love, her voice straining as she belts out a succession of Mariah-like trills. While she turns out a good club track in the form of Let It Go and Last Night, Cole is at her best singing about breakups and moving on. With eight tracks dedicated to the subject, one can only presume it is an issue close to her heart.
Despite the sweet backing harmonies of Falling Out, it is in fact, a cleverly crafted anti-ballad, with Coles softly cooing "Baby I'm slowly falling out of love with you."
Clocking in at 16 tracks more than an hour's listening the record would have benefited from a more stringent selection process, as the multiple variations on the theme become a touch wearisome, but otherwise, it's a sterling effort.
