LATOYA LONDON "Love & Life" Peak
Former "American Idol" singer LaToya London.
(By Randee St. Nicholas)
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LATOYA LONDON"Love & Life"Peak
LOOKING FOR AN "American Idol" moment on the debut CD by LaToya London, the R&B singer who placed fourth during the show's 2004 season? Skip forward to the album's bonus track, a Fox network-ready rendition of Eric Carmen's classic wrist-cutter, "All by Myself." Displaying octave-leaping, Patti LaBelle-like bravura, London sounds determined to pin back the ears of every listener within shouting distance. Take that, Simon Cowell!
London has the pipes to conjure LaBelle's skyrocketing vocal flights without sounding foolish, and there are other songs on "Love & Life" that reveal the influence of Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton in similar ways. But because London explores so many different moods here, waxing submissive, suggestive, defiant, dreamy and inspirational by turns, she ultimately comes across as a singer in search of a style to call her own. The pop ballads alone range from the blustery, Celine Dion-ish "State of My Heart" to the refreshingly subdued jazz-tinged ode "How I Love the Rain." The most engaging up-tempo track by far is "Appreciate," which cleverly pairs London with rapper Black Thought. What remains is hit and miss, with the former holding a slight edge.
Of course, London isn't calling all the shots. Several big league producers, including Narada Michael Walden, have ensured that every track boasts a contemporary luster. But the song choices are so scattershot that you can't help but think London would have been better off with fewer collaborators and options.
-- Mike Joyce
Appearing Thursday at the Birchmere with Shang.
