SPARKLE
Told You So (Motown)
Rating: 4 out of 7
By Billy Johnson Jr.

   Sparkle first made an impression on the R&B scene in 1998 with “Be Careful,” a male-versus-female duet with R. Kelly, who also wrote and produced the entire album. Sparkle’s soft, almost frail vocals offered the perfect counterpart. But two years later, the singer teams with a new producer, Steve “Stone” Huff, who happens to mimic R. Kelly’s production style on much of the album. If you didn’t check the credits, you’d think that “It’s A Fact,” the album’s first single and a new female anthem, was produced by Kelly because of the pattern of the flickering guitars plus Sparkle’s conversational singing style and old-school edge. 
   Though “It’s A Fact” is a strong enough first release, the other R. Kelly bites “When A Woman’s Heart Is Broken,” “All I Want,” and “Everything” lack any real punch. And when Sparkle ventures out to do a more original thing, she only really makes a notable impact on the syncopated, don’t-mess-with-me album intro “Don’t Know Why” and heavily hip-hop-influenced “Good Life,” with braggadocio-filled lyrics and all. Though her voice is pleasant and sweet enough, the overall package is just OK.

All recordings courtesy of Motown Records. “It’s A Fact” written by S. Huff, Sparkle; courtesy of Tuff Huff Music/Zomba Music, Diva This, Diva That (BMI). “When A Woman's Heart Is Broken” written by Joe, Q. Patrick, D. Conley, J. Thompson; courtesy of 563 Music Publishing (Zomba Enterprises, Inc.)/Tallest Tree Music/David "Pic" Cowley Melodic Noiz Music/Plaything Music (ASCAP)/Q ZIK Music/Music Pieces (BMI). “Never Can Say Goodbye” written by C. Davis, S. Huff, C. Kelly, C. Davis; courtesy of Tuff Huff Music/Zomba Music, Christian House Publishing (BMI)/Jobete Music Company, Inc./EMI Music Publishing (ASCAP).