Lalah Hathaway should have become as big a name in 1990s R&B as the equally talented and equally
Chaka Khan-influenced
Mary J. Blige, but regrettably, the singer never became as visible as she should have been.
Donny Hathaway's daughter didn't record often enough (four years passed between her first album and her sophomore effort
A Moment), and unlike
Blige, she never provided a consistently excellent album. Like
Lalah Hathaway,
A Moment is a mixed bag ranging from the strong to the decent to the routine (depending on who's producing and/or writing a particular song).
Hathaway is well served by
Sami McKinney on "Do You Suppose" and the melancholy "Better as a Memory," and by
Martyn Ware on a likable remake of
Sly & the Family Stone's "Family Affair."
Chuckii Booker's work on
Hathaway's first album was ho-hum, but this time, he comes through for her with the angrily funky "Bad by Myself." Unfortunately, "ho-hum" describes the contributions of
Brian Alexander Morgan on "Let Me Love You" and Keith Ware on "Lean on Me" (which
Hathaway co-wrote), and "Separate Ways." Overall, this is a slightly weaker effort than
Hathaway's debut. One hoped that eventually, she would live up to her promise and deliver a truly outstanding album, one that would become a huge name in R&B. ~ Alex Henderson