Rise
There has always been a disconnection between the musical tastes of the U.S. and the U.K. A case in point is the career of R&B;/pop singer Gabrielle, whose third CD,Rise, came out in the fall of 1999 in her native England and is finally available stateside. Cognoscenti of the U.K. brand of R&B; (which on the whole tends to be less formulaic than its American counterpart) might remember that Gabrielle scored in the mid-'90s with the infectious club track "Dreams."  Yet, despite that international chart topper and her smoky voice, her lovely 1996self-titled albumfailed to make any noise in the U.S. Although it's not as satisfying asGabrielle,Riseis a solid soulful effort. Once again, Gabrielle's semi-self help lyrics are married to state-of-the-art (but not obvious) beats: the title track uses the melody line fromDylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," while the pulsating "5 O'clock" employs a bouncy Latin-tinged rhythm that conjures upBig Pun's "Still Not A Player."  There's an airy, buoyant quality to the tracks and an almost wistful vibe that's totally modern yet has a strong loyalty to the legacy of soul when songs and singers mattered. Groundbreaking? Certainly not, butRiseis a refreshing antidote to R&B; by the  numbers--and proof that America doesn't have the patent on soul.--Amy Linden