Review of Macy Gray's Big

Macy Gray is the kind of artist that really divides people. Her voice is raw, funky, and powerful to some (especially soul purists who recognize that beautiful music isn't always easy to listen to), and absolutely atrocious to others (especially people who don't like the sound of a fork being pushed into an active garbage disposal).

She's had three albums out that are everything except predictable, and a Greatest Hits compilation that was little more than an attempt by her label to shill more money out of her breakthrough single, I Try. It also included her cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," which, to be kind, was godawful.

While her new album, Big, isn't going to convert any of the Gray-haters out there, Macy's longtime fans will find another strong and unique effort.

The first couple of tracks (other than the fantastic "Finally Made Me Happy") are plagued with R&B boredom that make Macy Gray sound tired and uninspired. Thankfully, this doesn't last long; after "What I Gotta Do", Gray starts to cut loose and display some pop and soul sensibilities.

Tracks like "Glad You're Here" (which features Fergie, who thankfully stays in the background) showcase Gray's ability to take on classic soul with lush, Motown style instrumentation and enough silly lines like "I'm in my room, baby/Moaning ooh-ooh-wee" to keep it weird enough not to alienate Gray's freakier fans.

Macy's still exploring her "what the hell?" moments like the unapologetically silly "Ghetto Love," and she contributes the obligatory track about love and murder ("Strange Behavior") that seems to crop up on every album she makes. Each song has at least a moment or two where the focus is given to Gray's weird personality, whether it's through a chick-rap verse ("Get Out") or a set of lyrics that make you really wonder if she's all there.