Naked and True

Released when was 43, came 16 years after the singer enjoyed her greatest visibility with ' 1979 hit "Street Life." At that point in her career, enjoyed little or no interest from urban contemporary radio. But then, is hardly album that goes out of its way to appeal to urban contemporary tastes of the '90s. Much of the time, the CD sounds like it could have been recorded in the late '70s or early '80s instead of the mid-'90s. Dominated by cover songs, finds the singer putting her recognizable stamp on R&B hits ranging from ' "I'll Be Around," 's "The Glow of Love" and 's "Give Me the Night" to 's "Forget Me Nots" and 's "Holding Back the Years." Especially noteworthy is her cover of 's "Purple Rain," which she changes from a rock/soul ballad to a jazzier, more quiet storm-ish number. often sounds dated, but dated in a good sense -- if you consider the late '70s and early '80s a great period for R&B, you'll find a lot to like about this enjoyable, if less than essential, CD. ~ Alex Henderson