Chanté Moore - Exposed (2000)

There must be something in Atlanta's water table that makes for such funky producers, singers, and performers. Outkast, Jermaine Dupri, TLC -- if Philly was ground zero for soul in the '70s and New York for hip-hop in the '80s, it's safe to say that at the turn of the 21st century, Atlanta, GA, was the capitol for the burgeoning hybrid of those two genres. Exposed, which was executive produced by Dupri and recorded mainly in Atlanta (the exception being the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced "Love's Still Alright," which was recorded in L.A.) makes a bid to capture some of that trademark funkiness. Moore has a great set of pipes, a mix of the throaty take charge style of Toni Braxton and the soft vulnerability of Janet Jackson, an undeniable sexiness, and a real emotional conviction that lends the songs an authenticity absent in many current releases. Still, with all that she has going for her, Exposed only manages to be a hit and miss record. When Moore hits, as in the opener "Straight Up," she makes sexy music with so many melodic twists and turns one gets happily dizzy from keeping up. But several tracks, despite being technically proficient and musically sound, don't really go anywhere, and even the Jam/Lewis track is admittedly a bit boring and antiseptic. With some grittier material, though, Moore could take a rightful place among Hotlanta's funkiest. ~ Steve Kurutz