Reviewed by Mark Sherwood

Mel Monroe will already be known to Cross Rhythms radio listeners for her turntable hits "Get Up (Remix)", "Just Human" and "Second 2 Nothing". Now the lady emcee from North Carolina returns. From the first beat of this album Ms Monroe addresses our 21st century culture, which is still out of step from the Father's heartbeat, particularly as the title suggests with women. L.A.D.Y. stands for Living As Destined by Yahweh (this could equally be shared by men of course). Ms Monroe's hip-hop has plenty of variety as her influences include soul and jazz and she also avoids the songs from sounding too similar. One word of warning, the cover of the album says that there are mature themes dealt with in the lyrics and while that is not a bad thing as being blunt is what is needed. Ms Monroe doesn't mince her words. But then her aim is to restore the L.A.D.Y. She even takes on James Brown's classic "It's A Man's Man's World" and injects a brilliant spiritual message that transforms the song. There's a remix of her previous single "Ladies Room" which previously had a serious '70s vibe and is now transformed into a potential dance floor filler. Overall a really good independent release which will surely attract many new fans.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.