So Amazin'
Christina Milian's third bid at pop stardom is most definitely the charm: a hotter, more frothed-up blend of R&B; and hip-hop has yet to surface this year. What makesSo Amazin'so amazing is that it doesn't tiptoe up to anything: Cool & Dre, the top-drawer production team behind this effort, leave the futzing around with ballads and vocal gymnastics to those who have time for that stuff. With Milian, the focus is all sizzling beats and breathy come-ons; you're not a second in before Young Jeezy is slamming home the platitudes and encouraging you to give it up for what you're about to hear, which is something like a street-edged assemblage of coos, slick samples, and maddening hooks. Three 6 Mafia step up to take Milian on a late-night club twirl with "Who's Gonna Ride," and Lil Wayne also gives it up in a guest spot. Call Milian a Beyonce-J.Lo wannabe if you will--and the case can even be made that she skimps on the vocals in spots--but you can't discount her taste in beat makers. With Cool & Dre on her team, count on DJs to start a new summer campaign: Make mine Milian.--Tammy La Gorce