Jully Black — This Is Me

After almost a decade of singing hooks for hip-hoppers like Choclair, Jully Black must be tired of her background role. On This Is Me, Black finally steps out from beyond someone else's mic and takes hold of her own. Her debut disc bursts with the kind of passion and sincerity lacking in most R&B and Black's rich voice gives songs like the gospel-tinged "I Travelled" a lived-in authenticity. The glossy production prevents it from being the soul masterpiece that Black's pipes and personality suggest is possible, but This Is Me is more than good enough to serve as her much-deserved breakthrough.

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