I Owe You (CD - 2004)

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Personnel: Kierra "KiKi" Sheard (vocals).

Prior to the release of I Owe You, the debut by urban gospel starlet Kierra "KiKi" Sheard, EMI Gospel went all-out to make sure the album fulfilled expectations. After all, the label had just won a bidding war to sign the teenaged songstress -- daughter of the Clark Sisters' Karen Clark-Sheard, granddaughter of church music matriarch Mattie Moss Clark. That's a lot of pedigree to live up to, so she was introduced with a bang: "You Don't Know," the stomping, Rodney Jerkins-produced first single, became a smash at gospel radio, spending several weeks at the top of the charts. The song turned out to be an interesting thesis statement for the whole of I Owe You, as it rolled into one its mishmash of styles and sensibilities -- particularly top-shelf urban pop and churchified contemporary gospel, plus a fair share of vocal acrobatics and dazzling, Clark-like harmonies. Outside of that song, I Owe You is much more conformist, breaking up into a number of parts but never quite reaching the neo-gospel, cross-generational ingenuity of its inaugural song. On the one hand, there's Sheard the urban gospel sister, a fiery, commanding vocalist who isn't afraid to get down like colleagues Mary Mary and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 in songs like "Closer" and "Let Go." On the other, there's Sheard the budding R&B diva, a delicate, smooth songbird with enough soul to sound every bit as Janet or Aaliyah. Lastly, there's Sheard the Clark, a potent, shrieking church soloist with a squall that can blow the roof off "Praise Offering" and "Done Did It." That I Owe You can be so easily compartmentalized is not necessarily a sign of versatility, but an indicator that KiKi is merely following the lead of others. This is not a big deal in the case of debut albums, but the see-if-it-sticks mentality is ultimately too jarring to take in all at once. It's nice of Sheard to let herself be all things to all people, but here's hoping the follow-up to I Owe You is truly more her, not who her handlers want her to be. ~ Andree Farias

As a driving rhythm section lays down the beat, Kierra Kiki Sheard opens her debut record, I OWE YOU, with the line "I can remember my mama told me/don't let no one speak for me." This is clearly solid advice, even if said mama wasn't the talented Karen Clark-Sheard, a gospel singer originally of the Clark Sisters. Impressively, the younger Sheard is on par with her mother when it comes to pouring out overwhelming spiritual devotion.

Sheard's music is energetic, contemporary R&B (think Janet Jackson channeled through Brandy), her charming, adoring zeal propelling her through frenetic tracks like "You Don't Know" and "Closer." Sheard boasts an elastic, powerful voice to equal her passion, making for a richly rapturous feel throughout I OWE YOU. Traditional gospel themes do slide in at times, but when they do, they are subtle, drifting in seamlessly. minimize