Macy Gray, Big

It's a newly glamourised Gray stepping out with her fourth album of characterful R&B, but the straightened hair and smoky makeup haven't seen off the freaky chick within. As if a mere physical overhaul could impinge on the eccentricity that makes her such a love-hate proposition. She deploys her full armoury of vocal devices here, and the quacks and squawks are still as disconcerting as they were when she announced her presence in 1999 with On How Life Is. The sticking point is that, after a confident, rootsy start, the songs run out of steam halfway through, leaving Gray flailing through conventional soul stodge. Pared down to its essential tracks - the brassy, gangster-romanticising Ghetto Love, the bawdy, bluesy Strange Behavior and her big orchestral moment, Shoo Be Doo - this would have made a fantastic EP. As previous albums suggested and Big proves, Gray's scattergun talent is at its best in short bursts.