If I Were Your Woman by Stephanie Mills (CD, Oct-2003, Universal Special Products)

This album proved that time and time again, Stephanie Mills had "chops" on her and knows how to use them. It always seemed that in her 20 yrs. plus career, it seemed that Mills was always trying to prove that she's more than just Dorothy from "The Wiz" and that despite her extenstive experience on Broadway, she could hold her own performing in other genres. Stephanie also was continously proving that she was becoming a mature young woman and not still stuck in the Land of Oz.

This album is result of that proof. She opens the album with the track, "I Feel Good All Over." The song not only has a romantic, R&B feel and sound to it but also shows that Mills didn't forget her gospel roots. The next track,"If I Were Your Woman", is her version of the song Gladys Knight and the Pips covered more than a decade prior to the original release date of this CD. Stephanie shows that even though Gladys made the song famous, she can own the song, too! Stephanie also shows her growth as a responsible young woman on slammin track, "(You're Puttin')A Rush On Me", which is produced by Paul Lawrence. Stephanie really gets to the heart of the CD with the song,"Secret Lady", produced and written by La La.

One of the things that intrigues me about this CD is despite Stephanie having more than 5 producers on this album, its a very solid product that still stands the test of time. Mills is the common thread that holds this project together and she does so with seamless effort.

I highly recommend this CD not only for Stephanie's fans but also, for anyone that enjoys good classic R&B. Its about time the new generation learns who Beyonce and Mariah learned their skills from. As I said in the title of this review, Stephanie is still The Woman and that's no secret!