REVIEWED BY IVORY JEFF CLINTON
R&B/HIP-HOP
After two jazz-pop albums, Queen Latifah adopts a different musical Persona on her latest, playing to fans of R&B, pop, reggae and hip-hop, the genre that first made her famous two decades ago. Although Latifah leaves the rapping to Busta Rhymes on the synth-laced ballad "Hard to Love Ya," she proves to still be a formidable emcee on the soulful standout "People" (featuring Mary J. Blige) and "Over the Mountain," a gripping ode to personal triumph. Meanwhile, her singing—sometimes a little too subdued—is best showcased on the Princely pop-rocker "Cue the Rain."
