Following a pair of vocal showcase albums that involved classy yet fun spins on the likes of
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band,
Nina Simone, and
Billy Strayhorn,
Queen Latifah enlists producers Cool & Dre to help concoct a willfully schizophrenic set of pop-oriented material. As anyone familiar with her recent screen and studio work would expect,
Latifah's shifts from character to character are not rocky. "What's the Plan" is an obvious
Cheryl Lynn circa-"Encore" impersonation, albeit one streaked with
Dre's vocal effect-driven gibberish. "Cue the Rain" works a rocking backdrop -- not unlike a fist-pumping cut off a mid-'80s soundtrack -- with quotes from
Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain." One of the more contemporary tracks, the sleek and flirty "Take Me Away (With You)," features
Marsha Ambrosius and is surprisingly effective. Just about all of it is enjoyable. Few vocalists who can sing and rap can display such versatility on one album. ~ Andy Kellman