Hail R&B’s new queen of pain! Monifah traffics in moving, mid-tempo tales of yearning, heartbreak, and redemption through self-love on her third album Home, produced largely by Teddy Riley (BLACKstreet, Guy). The single ”I Can Tell” runs through the wise ways that she screens suitors (”how you treat your ex/how you treat your child”). And her breathy cries convey the ache that accompanies an expertise in bad love.

Grade: B+