Queen Latifah Album: “The Dana Owens Album”

The moment I finished listening to this CD, my knee-jerk reaction was simple: MORE! Queen Latifah proves she is as comfortable performing classic songs as she is doing rap. Her fans knew her talents as a rap artist; it is no surprise that she can pull this switch into more classic tunes without a hitch. (After all, she sang wonderfully in the movie Chicago without a rap format.)

Her voice is strong, sensuous, and just plain wonderful to listen to. Al Green also joins her in singing "Simply Beautiful," a song Green himself wrote.

The selected songs combine to form a very strong, unified set that is ecstasy to listen to the way you want to, maybe just relaxing or perhaps with a glass of fine wine. The quality of the music is excellent and the cover photo of Dana is beautiful. You don't get lyrics to the songs but the credits are there.

In short, BUY THIS CD! You won't be sorry! GRIN

Some reviewers don't get it (see the reference to Jill Scott). This isn't about past albums where Queen Latifah represented her attitude. It's an album for those who have outgrown (or bypassed) the mindless "stuff" played on MTV.

Her selections are beautiful, her voice is stellar ... the album exudes class. To me, it seems to have a bit more kick than Diana Krall.

Queen Latifah. Dana Owens. Whatever you want to call her, the woman is a gift. She is elegance, she is grace, she is class. And now with "The Dana Owens Album" she has proved it once again, this time to the music world. The Queen has entered the building, and she ain't never gonna be leavin'. Ya hear?

Her sass is still there, on the upbeat tracks such as "Baby Get Lost" and "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" and "Mercy Mercy Mercy." She won't let you forget that she IS still the Queen. Don't be fooled.

But we also get the exquisite treat of her more sensitive and mature side, on "Close Your Eyes", "I Put A Spell on You," "California Dreamin'" and of course the absolutely perfect "Lush Life," from "Living Out Loud," which was the first time I realized that this lady, while already immensely talented, was much more multi-talented than anyone initially thought. How wonderful that her career has blossomed so well since this initial outing.

There are not enough superlatives and not enough exclamations in the dictionary to represent how I feel after listening to this album over and over again. I will never tire of it, and I will never tire of her magical voice. I can't wait to see what she does next. If Queen Dana Latifah Owens has reinvented herself before--and she has--she just might do it again, and I will be anxiously awaiting the next move. Will she rap again? Possibly, but as a non-rap fan, I am hoping that she continues along this path and continues to grace us with that velvety smooth voice for years to come.

I heard 2 tracks on this CD on the radio which I liked so I decided to buy the CD. Well, I was in for such a surprise; the CD is absolutely fantastic! I played it over and over. Queen Latifah's voice is so amazing I wondered why she hid it all these years under the rap genre. Her vocal range and the choice of songs are really "music to the ears". I highly recommend this CD - its a musical delight and I want more!

I first heard the tracks to this CD off of RealPlayer's Free Listening Parties. Honestly, I didn't have any high expectations for it...after all Queen Latifah is known partly for her comedy and rap, right? However, after hearing it for the first time, I was taken aback! She can do everything...and well, too! You can hear the strength of her character - her voice is definitely full of soul. Even my roommate asked "this is Queen Latifah?! you're kiddng"...she thought it was another Diana Krall! There's a taste of swing, original covers, soul, light rock, etc. all you need to sit back and relax. After continously listening to the cd, I had to find out if it was out yet..and for how much. I'm glad to see that this album is DEFINITELY worth the price...and I'm not one who usually buys cds!