Who is Chrisette Michele

I Am

1. Like A Dream
2. Work It Out
3. Best Of Me
4. Your Joy
5. Good Girl
6. Be Ok feat. will.i.am
7. If I Have My Way
8. Mr. Radio
9. Golden
10. Let's Rock
11. Love Is You
12. In This For You
13. Is This The Way Love Feels

I first took note of this talented songstress when she was featured on Jay-Z's "Lost One." Now I'm no huge fan of Jay, but I instantly fell in love with the track due to Michele's amazing vocals. As she cooly sang, "sorry, I'm a champion," I knew this woman would be someone to look out for.

Despite singing refrains for both Jay and Nas, Chrisette makes it quite clear in the first few minutes of her debut that she is not your average hook-singing R&B chick. Her voice sounds like a hybrid of Jill Scott and Michelle Williams; she has the vocal prowess of a young Whitney Houston and the jazzy stylings of greats like Billie Holiday. She co-wrote each song on this album and even co-produced a song, very rare for a first album. This daughter of a church deacon also differs from the others in lyrical conent. Although in her early twenties, Michele shows maturity and class that would put these floosies to shame.

She tells "Mr. Radio" that the love songs are very nice, but realtionships aren't always a walk in the park. In "Golden," the diva proclaims that she's "so ready" for the life-long commitment of marriage. A "Good Girl" like Chrisette puts quality time over material things and society's "ideal" man. And although the money and lavish things are alright, she is admittedly not the "flashy type" and she's "In This For You." "Your Joy" is a beautiful, but not sappy, song dedicated to her dad. In "If I Have My Way," she decides to wait a little longer until making love. The diva explains that "It's Like A Dream" to her just at the thought of her crush smiling at her and liking her. She leaves a relationship pridefully, reclaiming the "Best of Me." There are also some upbeat, feel-good cuts like "Be OK" and "Let's Rock."

One listen to "Golden" and you can hear why the near legendary Antonio "LA" Reid signed her on the spot. The songs on 'I Am' are top notch material and Chrisette Michele delivers them with extreme skill. I would list all the highlight songs, but then I'd be giving you the tracklisting that already available on this page. It doesn't hurt that it features superb production from the likes of Salaam Remi, will.i.am, Babyface and even John Legend. Still, Chrisette is the star here.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is this album is superb and you should buy it. I hope that Chrisette Michele gets the success she deserves and I can see her career continuing for a long, long time. I highly recommend this album. -- W. E. Phillips (USA)

Release Date: 06/19/2007

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Amazon Price: $7.97 (as of 07/13/2009)
List Price: $10.99

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