Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 22/05/06
Label: Def Jam

Christina Milian is one of the shrewdest operators in R&B. She's also one of the most ambitious; that practised doe-eyed smoulder undoubtedly masks dreams of world domination and unlady-like thoughts of knocking Beyonce and J. Lo off their perches. However, after the initial flurry of promising singles, thoughts of multi-media branding and the call of the big screen, saw her musical ambitions cruising on auto-pilot while she starred in the likes of "Get Shorty" sequel, "Be Cool". From the get-go though, it's clear that "So Amazin'" is Milian attempting to redress the balance.

And it's a dedicated effort which has her refocusing at a critical moment, proving just how shrewd she is. Firstly, unlike her last album, 2004's "It's About Time", which featured only a handful of tracks with her name on the credits, "So Amazin'" is full of Milian co-writes; let's not forget that she wrote "Play" for Jennifer Lopez. Secondly, she's hired fast-rising production duo Cool & Dre, responsible for The Game's "Hate It Or Love It", and she's not just hired them for a couple of tracks, they've done the whole album, ensuring it's a cohesive whole, with a clear, unmistakable identity.

Between Milian's vulnerable, yet strident vocals, and Cool & Dre's Kanye West-esque liking of '70s samples, the effect is to cast Milian as a young Diana Ross, albeit Diana Ross with crisp hip hop beats and super slick production. First single "Say I" shimmies to a feisty ghetto strut and Shaft-sized orchestrals, as does the swelteringly sexy, "Twisted". The pneumatic "Hot Boy" brings things back to the present, but "Just A Little Bit"'s sugary strings are full of blaxploitation love and "Twisted" sounds like it's about to slide into "Love Hangover" at any minute.

Without question, it's a proper album, not the usual random collection of songs tied-together with phone skits. In fact, it's almost the perfect R&B album; cool, sexy, inventive and suitably stylish throughout. All that's missing is a couple of killer singles. It's the ultimate irony: in turning R&B's trend of two hits and a truck load of filler on its head, Milian & co have gone the other way; a beginning to end triumph with no standout tracks. "Say I"'s a great single, it's just not the stuff household names are made of.

So, after all her hard work, it looks like Christina Milian is destined to serve another term as the best of the rest. But she shouldn't be too down hearted. It might not get her the attention she deserves, or the iconic status she desires, but it's an album to be proud of, which is more than Beyonce and J. Lo can lay claim to.

    by Dan Gennoe