Jasmine Guy - Jasmine Guy (1990/2020)

All too often, actors and actresses who decided to pursue careers as singers made listeners wish they had stuck with acting. One embarrassing example was Jasmine Guy, who aimed at the urban contemporary market with this generic release. Guy's thin, Paula Abdul-ish voice isn't the least bit impressive, and it certainly isn't enough to make weak, mundane tunes like "Everybody Knows My Name," "Tuff Boy," and the new jack swing-influenced "Try Me" come to life. The funk-rock song "Don't Want Money" isn't bad, but most of the CD is shamelessly formulaic. And having accomplished producers like Full Force, Mic Murphy, (formerly of the System) and Timmy Gatling on board doesn't erase the fact that Guy's voice and the material simply aren't happening. This album made it clear that acting, not singing, was Guy's calling.