Heather Headley

Though she delivers slinky, Philly-inflected funk on "Nature of a Man" and "He Is," This is Who I Am is generally understated and subtle, eschewing the big choruses and hip-hop inflections of modern R&B for an aesthetic that borrows from quiet storm-era R&B and modern neo-soul -- though her songs are too structured and stately to fit easily into either genre.

On her smooth debut, this Trinidad native by way of Indiana makes a terrific transition from
Broadway -- where she played Nala in The Lion King and won a Tony award for her
portrayal of Aida -- to a grown-up, lively R&B singer. No stage mannerisms or Liza Minnelli
ambitions screw up Headley's fresh deployment of her lustrous dark-honey soprano. She
works with the pros: producer Shep Crawford, on a sad song about abandonme... More >