When a Woman Loves
The collaboration between Patti Labelle and Diane Warren might  not be as splendiferous as that ofDionne WarwickandBacharachand David, but it is one that makes sense. Labelle is an emotional  singer with an üaut;ber-dramatic approach. Warren, whose pop/soul  songs ("Unbreak My Heart, "Because You Loved Me") have been hits for  nearly every major female singer (including Labelle), can at her best  infuse her material with a girlfriend empowerment that's equally  theatrical. The result is a CD that is Oprah's slumber party--an  estrogen-enhanced litany of L.U.V. delivered by a singer who can give  soul to a line as hackneyed as "If I was the sun I would shine my light  to light your world". It is Labelle's voice that savesWhen a Woman  Lovesfrom cliché city; and on the hushed title track and  the disco-driven "Too Many Tears, Too Many Times," Labelle makes magic  out of material that teeters toward the mushy.--Amy Linden