Epiphany

While the material is strong, this is all about Michele's stylish but subtle vocalizing and its jazzy inflections and nuances.

Chrisette Michele has delivered a consummate R&B album: controlled, beautiful, thoughtful, with some oomph. The cameos are sparse, the up-tempo tracks are still soulful and the perils of love are dominant.

Chrisette, naturally, sounds outstanding throughout, as a supernaturally talented vocalist whose songs are nonetheless easily relatable to anyone going through a breakup--or, to a significantly lesser extent here, newfound love--but the album could have really used more rhythmic punch than a token throwback strutter.

As pianos flutter and faint bass lines pulse in these sultry mid-tempo gentlemen's ballads--written and co-produced by Ne-Yo, who also guests on 'What You Do'--she makes those kiss-offs go down easy.

The entire album is executive produced by Ne-Yo, which gives Epiphany both a more modern R&B edge as well as a more unified sound than Michele's 2007 debut--which could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it.