A A Little Deeper [Purple Vinyl] Ms. Dynamite Artist

She didn't get much respect as a member of the chart-running, violence-generating {|So Solid Crew|}, but that all changed when {|Ms. Dynamite|} released her solo debut, {|A Little Deeper|}. And with nary a {|2-step|} beat in sight, it would appear {|Ms. Dynamite|} has made a clean break from her {|garage|} past to embrace a form of British {|ragga|}/{|R&B|} that makes her one of the few evoking references to {|Roots Manuva|} and {|Lauryn Hill|}. She has as much personality and strength of delivery as either of them (high praise, that), and carries the album as much as the tight production. Another name to think of is {|Craig David|}; like the only {|2-step|} figure to make any impression on American {|R&B|} fans, {|A Little Deeper|} has a few concessions to commercial radio (i.e., the musically unadventurous). The {|Santana|} guitar lines on {|Put Him Out|} and the single {|It Takes More|} would fit perfectly on radio. Sure, the album's a bit more edgy than any of her American contemporaries ({|Krazy Krush|} is a great head-twisting track), but it's still not too far from {|Hill|} and other {|neo-soul|} figures. That may make her more palatable to a worldwide audience, but it also makes for a more diluted sound that doesn't impress quite like it could have. ~ John Bush