September 24, 2003 @ 2:00 pm

Tamia - Still (Elektra)

by: By J. King

Multiple Grammy nominee Tamia has robust pipes and exceptional range, but there's nothing distinctive or idiosyncratic about her singing.

Multiple Grammy nominee Tamia has robust pipes and exceptional range, but there's nothing distinctive or idiosyncratic about her singing. Yet as her infectious 2001 hit single, "Stranger in My House," proved, the 28-year-old Canadian artist shines when paired with an unusually well-crafted song. So it makes sense that for Still, her third album, she'd cart out a barrelful of A-list R&B producers. However, Warryn Campbell's bizarre "It's a Party" track sounds like a robotic update of early 1970s Stax soul: think Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff" played on a Korg synthesizer. Babyface offers a bland "Smile," and Tamia sounds underworked on R. Kelly's "Questions." Shep Crawford contributes "Tomorrow," a contemporary gospel potboiler that gives Tamia's voice room to stretch. But Crawford's "Me" sounds like a carbon copy of his earlier "Stranger in My House." This set would do better with less reliance on big-name producers and more focus on developing a singular style around carefully chosen songs. Without that, Tamia's just another voice in the crowd.

Article tags: Tamia, Still, Elektra 

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