The third in
Syleena Johnson's autobiographical series of albums,
Chapter 3: The Flesh shows off more of
Johnson's emotive, raspy-voiced style. From the provocative cover image to the album's song titles ("Special Occasion," "Phone Sex"), the subject matter of
The Flesh is clear, yet it is
Johnson's deeply bluesy, gospel-inflected delivery and the passionate conviction of her performances that make a lasting impression. Like
Johnson's previous efforts,
Chapter 3 bridges old-school soul of the '60s and '70s (think
Betty Wright,
Curtis Mayfield, and
the Staple Singers) with an urban contemporary, hip-hop-inflected sound (aided by appearances from mega-stars
R. Kelly,
Common,
Twista, and
Anthony Hamilton), and the results satisfy on both counts.