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Editorial Reviews

Originally scheduled for release in 2002 as All Eyez on Me, Monica's eagerly awaited third disc has been reconfigured and renamed. The result is After the Storm, which finds the singer blossoming from the precocious Miss Thang to the still sassy yet more seasoned Ms. Thang. Here, the 22-year-old is unafraid to tackle adult subject matter, as she does on the irresistible, Missy Elliott–produced "So Gone," which tells the tale of a scorned Monica ready to go Fatal Attraction on her unfaithful lover. Over the song's scratchy 45 sample of the Whispers' "You Are Number One," she raps convincingly: "Make me wanna ride by your house and sit / Kick down your doors / And smack your chick / Just to show you Monica not havin' it." And on the Jermaine Dupri–produced "U Should've Known Better," the Whitney Houston–reminiscent vocalist lets her incarcerated lover know he's not forgotten -- a story line that mirrors Monica's real-life relationship with imprisoned rapper C-Murder. The Atlanta belle shares even more real-life drama with listeners on the bittersweet "I Wrote This Song," about her first love's suicide. With its percolating beats and staccato phrasing, "Ain't Gonna Cry No More" could have fit just as easily on a Brandy album, but Monica seems poised to overshadow her "The Boy Is Mine" nemesis, whose career has been momentarily sidetracked by motherhood. Thus far, Monica has successfully weathered the storm of her personal crises and emerged as a shining star. Tracy E. Hopkins, Barnes & Noble

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