Solange: Solo Star

Despite her being the younger look-alike and sound-alike sister of superstar Beyonce Knowles, Solange definitely chose "Solo Star" as the right title for her debut album. She shows that she can make her mark without standing in her big sister's shadow.

Solange's debut album is a mixture of hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. It features tracks with a wide variety of artists. Rappers who may be a little too "hardcore" for her, such as N.O.R.E and Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics, appear on two tracks. But she sticks more to her age group on tracks with featured artists B2K and Lil' Romeo.

Many of Solange's so-called hip-hop songs can be a little corny at times. For example, "True Love" with Lil' Romeo and "Feel Good Song," are a little too cute for people our age, but are clearly intended for a younger audience. This is good, because we wouldn't want to see her growing up too fast and not acting her age. On many of the pop songs, she sounds a lot like Beyonce, but on the more R&B-sounding tracks, she really justifies her stardom; she proves that she can truly sing. Remember, she did do background vocals on many of Destiny's Child's records. Overall, most of the songs on Solo Star are pleasantly catchy, especially "Dance With You" featuring B2K.

GRADE: B-