Moore Is More

Chronique

Chanté Moore's sixth solo album followed her divorce from Kenny Lattimore and was synchronized with R&B Divas: Los Angeles, a TV One reality program in which the singer starred beside the likes of Dawn Robinson and Kelly Price. Like her previous album, 2008's Love the Woman, Moore mixes it up with "grown" and contemporary pop-R&B sounds, but she does it with a fresh and lengthy supporting cast that includes Chris "Big Dog" Davis, Kwamé, the MIDI Mafia, and Louis Biancaniello and Sam Watters. There's a little more range, from the blaring and cluttered dance-pop of "On and On" (featuring a guest spot from Da Brat) to a magnetic version of the '50s torch song "Cry Me a River." Unsurprisingly, the latter is a better fit, and the songs closer to it in style -- more refined, deeply felt, and pared down to suit Moore's still-remarkable voice -- are what make the album attractive. "Jesus, I Want You" hints at the gospel album she has been talking about for years. Even without the whistle notes, it'd be the most impassioned performance on the album. Due to the high number collaborators, Moore Is More feels more like a collection of stray pieces than a unified whole, but some of those pieces are as satisfying as anything in the singer's catalog.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo