Along with Renee Neufville, Baylor fused sophisticated soul with the vibrancy and good feeling of hip hop, creating an intoxicating brand of neo-soul in an era void of neo-soul posturing. Ten years after Zhane’s second and final effort hit shelves, Baylor offers Testimony: My Life Story, an opus as smooth and infectious as her former group’s finest moments.

Free and forward-thinking, Testimony is a solid extension of Baylor’s musical past. The blend of ballads and mid-tempo concoctions finds the singer’s sensual phrasing as inviting as ever, conveying the power of love and positive energy without spilling into hollow haranguing. ‘Morning Time’, the collection’s lead single, struts with sunny, Sunday afternoon ease, while the guitar-laced ‘Come Go With Me’ would make a Stax-era Mavis Staples beam with pride. Other up-tempo numbers like ‘Music Makes Me High’ and ‘When the Music Plays’ fall closely behind, proving conscious lyrics can reside alongside fly grooves.

It’s when Baylor smoothes it out, however, that she really shines. The album’s brightest gem, the live cut ‘Still a Part of Me,’ is a truly moving slice of balladry. A sparse, five-minute incantation performed to an enthusiastic crowd, the song is emotional in a way few records are in the millennium. Baylor wears her heart on her musical sleeve, opening listeners up to a rare, refreshing moment of vulnerability in a time when icy cool trumps raw emotion. The billowy, string-laden ‘Do You Really Love Me’ and the spiritual title track find the singer in similar territory, radiating a thoughtfulness few sisters possess.

A fine solo debut, Testimony is a welcome entry into the sweepstakes of mellow, progressive soul. The inspirational, affirming vibe that colors the tapestry of Baylor’s ‘story’ proves she deserves to be a star in her own right, and this could very well be the beginning of a new chapter.

Reviewed: Jean Baylor — Testimony: my life story (Be a Light) — Released: 2007

1. My Life Story Intro (Featuring Spinderella)
2. Days Like These
3. Come Go With Me
4. Morning Time
5. Made to Love You
6. Testimony
7. Music Makes Me High
8. Sweet
9. Wait for Your Love
10. Still a Part of Me
11. Bye Bye
12. Love Poem
13. Hear My Voice
14. Do You Really Love Me
15. My Life Story Outro (Featuring Spinderella)
16. Never Gonna Give You Up
17. When the Music Plays

Testimony: My Life Story can be purchased at www.dajams.com.