Album review: Chrisette Michele-Epiphany

May 8, 11:54 AMR&B Music ExaminerSamantha Greaves

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Album cover for Chrisette's album Epiphany in stores now.

Chrisette Michele returns with her sophomore album Epiphany. This time around, Chrisette decided to enlist Grammy award-winning songwriter/singer Neyo to lend a hand in composing lyrics for a good majority of the songs that appear on the album.

Chrisette made it a priority to set in stone the all too familiar saying "less is more" by toning down her impressive vintage vibrato and replacing it with a little more soul, class, and a load of emotion. Each track on the album tells it's own story like a musical novel and it is practically impossible to ignore Neyo's presence and influence. And even with a big heavy-hitter by her side, Chrisette does a great job at standing her ground as the Captain in charge of the album, never losing focus on empowering each and every track with her essence.

Starting from the first track that shares the title of the album, "Epiphany (I'm Leaving)", that will more than likely be a woman's anthem of 2009, Chrisette takes a stroll down memory lane borrowing from her debut album IAm's 1950's Jazz meets modern day R&B sound and feel. In "Blame It On Me" Chrisette allows her fans and most importantly new listeners to get an ear-full of her impressive vocal range and ability that glides on the beats symphony like brisk air brushing against mountain tops, while "Fragile" drips with passion that fits like a glove with the electric guitar that flutters throughout the track.

"Another One" was a little disappointing; not because of Chrisette's words or finesse with her voice, but more so the recycled skeleton of the beat that sounds a lot like the beat for Beyonce's 2007 multi-Platinum "Irreplaceable" (also written by Neyo) and Chris Brown's "With You". "Mr. Right", though is an amazing accompaniment to the rest of the songs on the album, also suffers the fate of sounding all too familiar. This time, the beat sounds similar to new-comer Laura Izibor's debut song "From My Heart To Yours".

Chrisette showed a more diverse side on Epiphany allowing herself to get lost in her words and to truly connect with her audience. Judging by the completed project, she finally allowed herself to define her words without the need to be acrobatic with her voice. The great background work done by Neyo paired well with the songstress' style and sound which may get her in good with those that are more fond of Pop. This 12-track album is definitely an ideal addition to any R&B collection.

Epiphany gets 3.5/5.