19-year-old R&B chanteuse Lumidee, pronounced "loomy d," received very sudden attention with her summer 2003 jam "Never Leave You." At first, the hit may seem ultimately gimmicky, but further listening finds something original going on beneath the hooky exterior. The track begins with tribal beats delayed by a breathy, faltering, echoing vocal, hauntingly off-beat and otherworldly in the manner of those early House crossover hits from the mid-to-late-'80s.
The rest of Lumidee's self-titled debut consists of serviceable, affable R&B made unique by the singer's halting, off-kilter, refreshingly unpredictable vocals, best showcased on a brief half-rapped, half-sung "Suppose To Do," a take on the "Theme From Mahogany." Lumidee utilizes her child-like voice to disconcerting effect on "Me & You" while summoning up her inner hardcore rapper on "My Last Thug." Busta Rhymes and Fabolous drop by, providing perfect foils for each other on the remix of "Never Leave You."