In the late '80s and early '90s, [wimpLink artistId="10926"]Lenny Kravitz[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="549"]Living Colour[/wimpLink] accomplished something that [wimpLink artistId="6792951"]Gail Ann Dorsey[/wimpLink] was unable to accomplish: they demonstrated that an African-American artist could, in fact, become a superstar with an R&B-influenced approach to alternative rock. [wimpLink artistId="6792951"]Dorsey[/wimpLink]'s excellent debut album, The Corporate World (a 1989 release on Warner Bros.), was too rock for R&B stations, but at the same time, many rock programmers no doubt assumed that because she was black, she must have been urban contemporary -- and the same problems persisted when Island released her sophomore outing, Rude Blue, in 1992. Not that [wimpLink artistId="6792951"]Dorsey[/wimpLink] hasn't done well for herself in the music industry; anyone who traveled all over the world as [wimpLink artistId="4768"]David Bowie[/wimpLink]'s bassist in the mid- to late- '90s and early 2000s has a lot to be thankful for. Still, it would be nice to see [wimpLink artistId="6792951"]Dorsey[/wimpLink] enjoy a big commercial breakthrough as a solo artist, and this 2004 release demonstrates that her talents as a singer/songwriter haven't suffered a bit over the years. The impressively consistent [wimpLink albumId="247399817"]I Used to Be[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="6792951"]Dorsey[/wimpLink]'s first solo album in 12 years, isn't a radical departure from her earlier recordings; the Philadelphia native still favors a very R&B-influenced approach to pop/rock. Despite that R&B influence, urban stations are unlikely to embrace introspective gems like "Philadelphia" and "Nether Land" -- this alternative pop/rock/adult alternative disc is much more likely to appeal to a [wimpLink artistId="6305"]Sarah McLachlan[/wimpLink]/[wimpLink artistId="591"]Indigo Girls[/wimpLink]/[wimpLink artistId="31935"]Joan Osborne[/wimpLink] type of audience. It's regrettable that [wimpLink artistId="6792951"]Dorsey[/wimpLink] hasn't provided more solo albums over the years -- regrettable, but understandable considering how busy she has been as a session player. Nonetheless, those who remember The Corporate World or Rude Blue have kept hoping that [wimpLink artistId="6792951"]Dorsey[/wimpLink] would eventually record some more albums of her own, and she doesn't disappoint us on this rewarding CD. ~ Alex Henderson