FOOTLOOSE AND FANCY-FREE

Queen Latifah has created a pleasant follow-up to her "Dana Owens" album, another collection of pop, jazz & blue standards entitled TRAV'LIN' LIGHT. The Queen is somewhat omnipresent these days on screens big and small (not to mention her appearances on the concert stage, presuably promoting the album). Her warm, smart presence and honey-toned vocals are inspiring without the smug, self-righteousness displayed by some of the other major "icons" of the day. Sometimes, the parts are greater than the sum of the whole--not all facets of her talent easily fit together. While a sucessful rapper, a talented actress AND a easy, glossy singer, she is not always the most protean of performers. (For example, "I Know Where I've Been," an added bonus from the HAIRSPRAY soundtrack, shows that she is not a lead gospel singer likely to raise the room off the church. Her casting as Motormouth Maybelle in the film is great fun, and she has the commanding stature and presence for the role as an actress; yet her vocalization is not stirring and spine-tingling, and her voice doesn't rise above the chorus, remaining comfortably with the pack.) Yet on a cover of "Poetry Man," she shows great skill with an intimate Phoebe Snow classic, a silky wistfulness and a lightness of touch. "I Love Being Here with You" is a jazzy club number and shows her skills as a bouncy chanteuse, and "I'm Not in Love" shows her R&B influences. You could picture a really delightful evening in a jazz club: you and the Queen and 50-100 nicely dressed, smart and classy folks sipping drinks in sophisticated stemware. This may be just a pose, but vocally its a convincing one. (You want your guts ripped out, play Jennifer Hudson.) TRAV'LIN' LIGHT is an easy, enjoyable listen--but perhaps not a life-altering experience (not that it needs to be). It's the Queen having fun and inviting you along for the ride.