Many of the urban contemporary singers who made their recording debuts in 1995 went out of their way to be as hip-hop as possible, but not
Tina Moore. Instead of emulating
Mary J. Blige or the members of
TLC and
En Vogue,
Tina Moore favors more of an "
Anita Baker meets
Whitney Houston" approach on this self-titled debut album. Six of the ten tracks were produced by
Michael J. Powell (who is known for his work with
Baker), including the melancholy single "Color Me Blue." Definitely a gem, "Color Me Blue" is the best thing on the CD, although her remake of
Harry Warren's "At Last" runs a close second. Most of the material, however, is pretty routine, and that includes the funkier tracks as well as more adult contemporary-minded offerings like "All I Can Do" and "Love Don't Feel Like Love" (both of which are exactly the sort of ballads that
Houston would record). But while
Tina Moore is unremarkable more often than not, the album's best tracks let listeners know that the singer has potential. Unfortunately,
Moore didn't have another label to go to when her relationship with Scotti Bros. ended, and six years later, she had yet to provide another full-length album. ~ Alex Henderson