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So Blu, the debut album of 25-year-old Tiffany "Blu" Cantrell, proves that a number of R&B producers have been casting envious ears toward the ska-core, swing-punk and jazzy hip-hop that have of late been the purview of white artists on the club and pop charts. Why else would the ever-adventurous songwriter/producer Dallas Austin nudge Cantrell's sound so far into Gwen Stefani territory on "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" (RealAudio excerpt), or would Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis give her a track ("Swingin'") that could have worked equally well for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy? The last time we heard a pop-soul singer this versatile was back in the '70s.
From the minimal jitterbug loop that anchors "Waste My Time" to the semi-acoustic midtempo funk-rock of the set's title track, Cantrell plays game-elevating muse to talented producers such as Chris "Tricky" Stewart (Tamia, Tyrese), while co-writing eloquent tunes of thwarted love under the pen name "T. Cobb." Although the gospel bridge of "Till I'm Gone" is reminiscent of a Mary J. Blige ballad, the languid delivery of lines such as "Lord, tell him something/ 'Cause he's lost his mind" is purely Cantrell's own. Similarly, her rueful, syncopated performance on the Quincy Jones-style "U Must Be Crazy" (RealAudio excerpt) project the emotional intensity of vintage Randy Crawford and Phyllis Hyman tracks without losing the slightly jagged edge that is Cantrell's distinctive signature.
Formerly a backup singer for the likes of Faith Evans and Puff Daddy, Cantrell came to the attention of Arista's new chieftain, Antonio "LA" Reid, through the same Atlanta-based brain trust responsible for the international success of his own LaFace imprint. Now, as a solo artist in her own right, she presents herself as a vocal chameleon, shifting from the sultry alto of a 1940s cabaret chanteuse ("When I Needed You") to the attitudinal trill of a ragga-reggae rude girl ("Waste My Time") with impressive ease. The last time we heard a pop-soul singer this stylistically versatile, Cory Daye was fronting Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band in the 1970s.
In the 1990s, it was the thoughtful eclecticism of Lauren Hill and Erykah Badu that first made urban radio more amenable to exotic, atavistic singles, thus paving the way for performers like Cantrell to climb through an ever-widening hole in commercial R&B's conformity. As for the quirky hit single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" — well, it's no surprise that Reid, the man who unleashed TLC on the world, would introduce Cantrell via a bouncy revenge song that counsels jilted women to max out their cheating boyfriend's credit cards before kicking the loser to the curb!
Although mellower tunes such as "The One" reveal a warmer side of Canrtell's persona ("I've been looking for a man/ To stay here till the end"), it's Jam and Lewis' jazz fusion piece "Blu Is a Mood" (RealAudio excerpt) that best sums up all the shades of this artist's passionate personality. "Blu's not just a primary color," she sings on this impressionistic album closer. "It's a backdrop for the universe/ So if you're vibing on this chill atmosphere/ Baby, you have been blued." 
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