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KELLY PRICE
Mirror, Mirror
Def Soul
Studio veteran Kelly Price's church-cured pipes and diva pride
having endeared her to the r&b faithful, her 1998 Soul of a Woman
played to those strengths. But the strengths were also
limitations--a voice doesn't make you Aretha Franklin, just as
self-reliance doesn't make you Mary J. Blige. So the unconverted
will be glad to learn that Price doesn't rest content with the ho-hum
press-release claim that her new Mirror, Mirror tells "Kelly
Price's story." This time, barely half the songs are mere vocal
showcases. Divas being divas, it's no surprise that the standouts
include most of those she didn't compose, notably "At Least (The
Little Things)," by (who else?) R. Kelly, and a cover of Shirley
Murdock's "As We Lay." But two collaborations with producer and
multi-instrumentalist Shep Crawford, "She Wants You" and "Married
Man," bode well for her songwriting future. Like small children and
lead guitarists, backup singers shouldn't be left to wander off by
themselves. But if they're very catchy, exceptions can be made.
Rolling Stone, 2000
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