at a glance...

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Debut: 1998

Modesty really doesn't suit Macy Gray. Early on in On How Life Is, Gray's debut, the artist establishes that she's a force to be reckoned with. Lines like "And I'm the latest craze/And if you stay awhile/Inevitably you're gonna bite my style" are less conceit than mere statement of fact. The singer/songwriter's rootsy, refreshingly original melodies offer a welcome diversion from the standard R & B currently so common on the radio.

"I Try" simply scintillates as she recounts one of the most universal of themes -- unrequited love -- lamenting her loss without a hint of self-pity. She soars on "Still,"a lovely introspective ballad of self-recrimination and regret with an eventual return an unhealthy, dysfunctional relationship. "I've Committed Murder" is an uptempo revenge tale with a killer hook and infectious instrumentation.

Though not without a couple of misfires, like the kinky confessional "Sex-O-Matic Venus Freak," Gray offers up a sweet life indeed. Often strident and bubblng with confidence, the artist overcomes even her most clichéd lyrics, "I'm just a prisoner of your love" and "don't let the days of your life pass you by," for instance. As a lyricist, Gray occasionally borders on the facile, but she redeems herself admirably when she tosses off such lines as "Like a jacuzzi/I'm hot and bubbly baby." Her strength really is not how she says it, but the emotions she invokes.

With her trademark raw blues raspy vocals, juxtaposed perfectly against hip-hop beats, the singer tackles some weighty issues -- from abusive relationships to suicide. Thematically, one might conclude that her skies are definitely blue, but hopefully, there'll be more of this soulful, funky R & B to greet us on the horizon.

If you like Macy Gray, check out:
Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Neneh Cherry Homebrew
Tina Turner Private Dancer
Janis Joplin Cheap Thrills
Erykah Badu Baduizm
Sarah Vaughan Swingin' Easy
Billie Holiday Lover Man

-- Paul Barras