So Amazin' (CD - 2006)

With her third album, SO AMAZIN,' Cuban-American singer Christina Milian offers up another fine set of pop/hip-hop-tinged R&B. As on her previous outing, IT'S ABOUT TIME, Milian is joined by prominent rappers--in this case, Young Jeezy and Three 6 Mafia on the propulsive opener "Say I" and the club anthem "Who's Gonna Ride," respectively. While Milian is clearly working in the style of Beyonce, she has enough charm and vocal talent to make her own mark, as revealed on the sensual groover "Hot Boy."

Cool & Dre, the rising production team behind the Game's "Hate It or Love It," handle all but one track on the third album from Christina Milian, and it is Milian's strongest album yet, if only by a narrow margin. The album is short on ideas, which are often taken from recent hits, and Cool & Dre aren't ashamed to swipe some of their own. The beat on "Say I," featuring Young Jeezy, is remarkably similar to the one used on "Hate It or Love It." "Who's Gonna Ride," featuring Three 6 Mafia, does nothing to mask its willingness to capitalize on Three 6's "Stay Fly." "Hot Boy" couldn't have been made without the existence of Destiny's Child's "Soldier." The other setback is that Milian's weakness remains ballads; the few that are here are more like placeholders that merely apply some forced variety to the album. But the club tracks are perfectly functional and appealing, even when they're secondhand, and a lot of it has to do with Milian's flirtatiously pouty charm. ~ Andy Kellman minimize