Macy Gray is such an assured, original vocalist that it's hard to believe On How Life Is is her debut album. She recalls a number of other vocalists, particularly jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, but she is unquestionably from the post-hip-hop generation, which is evident not just from the sound of the record, but the style of her songwriting, which is adventurous and unpredictable. Thankfully, she's worked with a producer (Andrew Slater, who pulled a similar trick with {$Fi...   [ read more ]

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In more ways than one, Macy Gray is a bit like the Dan Marino of neo-soul: full of promise and potential but never truly reaching her full blossom. Having only reached the Top Ten promised land once (and Top 40 only three times) in her five-year career on the good ship Epic, it's hard to call this a "very best of" and get excited about the songs held within the packaging. Starting off with the one-two chronological punch of "I Try" and "Do Something," the air starts to leak out of the bal...   [ read more ]

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