Reviewed by James Attlee

With a five-octave voice honed in the black church and on the road as star of a hit musical, and with the bone structure of a young Diana Ross, the 21 -year-old Miss Hicks has made up her mind to become very successful indeed.  Such a combination of talent and ambition is hardly unique in black music - however her company seem to be right behind her business plan. This album took a year to make and wears its agenda on its sleeve; the aim is to make D'Atra (pronounced Dee-Atra) a star. This is how the plan goes. First, get hold of the producers who've had the biggest hits with female vocalists in recent years; welcome aboard Narada Michael Walden (Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston) Nick Martinelli (Stephanie Mills, Regina Belle) and Jellybean Benitez (Madonna and Houston again).  Next we need the statutory duets for the ballad market (try and wangle a theme-song for a movie while you're at it); Peabo Bryson, Evan Rogers and Gary Brown are lassoed, corralled and ready to croon.  (Will Downing merely made the backing vocals.) Finally, get the songsmiths to work, turning about some songs about, you know, relationships; nothing demanding, the usual number in smooch and dance mode.  Everybody's done their job and done it well - potential radio hits abound. All the lyrics deal with the vagaries of LURVE - from the "I gotta be...holding you in my arms tonight" angle, to "you didn't want me baby." Shame.  Unsurprisingly the production sounds like a million dollars throughout, probably because it cost that much, and D'Atra has got a remarkable voice. Stand-out track for me though, and the only one that avoids total predictability in the lyric department, is the Al Green song Love And Happiness'. D'Atra lets her gospel roots show in a virtuoso display that has her sounding at times a touch like a youthful Aretha Franklin - storefront meets Hi-Tech.  It does seem a pity that an artiste who states in her liner notes "Thank You Jesus - all my praises go to you Lord", should endorse songs so totally devoid not only of faith or social awareness but artistic merit as well. I mean - "I feel so good when you hold me baby/I'd love to let you come and take me..." In a recent interview Ms Hicks refused to reveal the name of her boyfriend, saying "No, No...I want everyone to think I'm single. Most of my fans are men and they prefer it like that." Welcome to the media circus, D'Atra. Watch out for the lions.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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