Monifah's rich voice is the first thing you notice on her debut album, Moods ... Moments, and it's the thing that keeps the album afloat through its occasional dull spots. Where most of her mid-'90s urban soul contemporaries are hell-bent on demonstrating their technical prowess,
Monifah lays back and lets the music build, texturing her vocals with a variety of different shades and styles. She can be jazzy or she can be soulful, she can belt out an uptempo number or croon a love ballad -- it's clear that she has the gift. And, for the most part, producer
Heavy D provides her with enough first-rate songs to make sure that we not only notice the gift, but that we don't forget it once the album is through, either. Although it would be nice to hear what
Monifah could contribute to the songwriting,
Heavy D's songs are varied and soulful, giving her a proper showcase for her prodigous talents. Moods ... Moments does have a handful of weak songs and could have benefitted from some trimming, but that doesn't prevent the album from being a simply stellar debut. ~ Leo Stanley