The Promise (CD - 2008)

Audio Mixer: David Rideau.

After a stylistic detour with 2007's DESTINATION MOON, on which Deborah Cox paid tribute to jazz and classic-pop vocal legend Dinah Washington, the Canadian chanteuse returns to her natural R&B milieu on THE PROMISE. Working with a selection of top-tier collaborators (John Legend, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis), Cox delivers a set of eminently smooth yet impassioned music which alternates between hip-hop-style jams ("Saying Goodbye") and neo-soul fare ("You Know Where My Heart Is"). On "Did You Ever Love Me," the singer reveals the benefits of briefly leaving one's comfort zone, combining modern production with a vocal that recalls Washington's best torch songs. minimize