Mahogany Soul

1	Soul Insurance 5:00
2	Brotha 4:28
3	Pissed Off 4:41
4	More Than a Woman / Calvin Richardson 4:53
5	Snowflakes 3:49
6	Wish I Didn't Miss You 4:30
7	Easier Said Than Done 3:56
8	Bottles & Cans 3:54
9	The Ingredients of Love / Musiq (Soulchild) 3:56
10	What U Dyin' For 5:26
11	Makings of You (Interlude) 2:30
12	Mad Issues 4:49
13	If It Wasn't 4:22
14	20 Dollars 4:42
15	Life Goes On 3:57
16	The Heat (Outro) 1:54
17	Time of the Month Bonus Track 4:02
18	[Untitled Track] 4:09

Barnes & Noble

Her sophisticated 1999 debut, Black Diamond, earned Angie Stone critical acclaim without making the very deserving singer and songwriter a household name -- which is nothing new for this neo-soul queen. In the '80s, the South Carolina native was a member of the female rap trio Sequence, and in the mid-'90s she flexed her vocal range as lead singer of the underrated acid-jazz group Vertical Hold, sang backup for Lenny Kravitz, and wrote and arranged songs for her baby's daddy, D'Angelo. With her sassy sophomore disc, Mahogany Soul, it's Stone's time to reap the benefits of her hard labor. Outstanding tracks such as the lovelorn "Wish I Didn't Miss You" -- which borrows its melody from the O'Jays' "Backstabbers," just as Diamond's "No More Rain (In This Cloud)" was built around a sample from Gladys Knight's "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)," -- display Stone's appeal. On that track, she pines, "Boy you forgot when you were down/who was around?," and there aren't too many women over 25 who can't identify. Although Stone can boy-bash with the best of 'em, -- note the self-explanatory "Pissed Off" -- she's also the first to lend the fellas her undying support, as on the Raphael Saadiq-produced ode to black men, "Brotha." Like the sister-friendly Jill Scott, Stone assumes the role of the black Everywoman with her knack for relatable storytelling and inviting vocal style. That winning combination makes the 16-song Mahogany Soul an engaging listen and may finally grant this polished Stone time to shine. Tracy E. Hopkins

Rolling Stone

[*** 1/2 stars] Like D'Angelo, Stone specializes in dramatic moods expressed with mellow methods. Give her understated passion time to marinate, and Stone's soul picnic will satisfy. Barry Walters

Billboard

On her second album -- and first for J Records-- a more confident Stone polishes the promise delivered on 1999's Black Diamond to an eye-squinting gleam. Gail Mitchell