Exposed

Like every R&B diva worth her salt, Chante Moore must have listened to those 22nd-century girls Destiny's Child while writing Exposed. Released in the latter half of 2000, Moore's fourth album has the ubiquitous stuttering rhythms, silky smooth vocals, and contemporary hip-hop soul grooves that are synonymous with She'kspere's protégés. This effort assures that she's back on the scene with some fresh and interesting material, a guest spot from Chi-town rapper Da Brat, and surprisingly subtle production from Jermaine Dupri. The common theme running through the tracks is the ever-popular one of relationships. Highlights include "Straight Up," the brilliantly catchy uptempo groove of "Everything We Want," and "Take Care of Me," featuring the aforementioned Da Brat. Moore professes to want to be all things to all people, but she lets herself down on the type of songs she was previously known for: saccharine-sweet lovers' soul. So where she excels as an urban bawl-out screamer, on this set, the ballads like "Bitter" and "Love's Still Alright" don't work so well. The sound is too commercial and overblown--almost as if she has an eye on others' (Mariah Carey's, perhaps?) chart success. Exposed isn't revolutionary by any means, but it does have some good moments. --Na'solo So'Fahed