Kiss the Sky

With Kiss the Sky, Will Smith's former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costar Tatyana Ali ditches acting to enroll in Little Miss R&B 101, a class already crowded with one-name star pupils like Brandy, Monica, Monifah, Aaliyah, and Nicole. With such competition, it's tough to say whether Ali can pull off an A, but the first single, "Daydreamin'," driven by a sample of Steely Dan's "Black Cow," is a good start. The rest of the album however, is sugar-puff light--full of lukewarm ballads, candy-sweet lyrics, and Boyz II Men-like melodies (wherever Boy II Man Shawn Stockman has stamped his writing credits) that don't quite work with Ali's angelic but powerless voice. Don't write her off yet, though--she shows promise and in a few more years may deliver. --Rebecca Wallwork