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Vanessa Williams' NEXT sees her taking yet another soulful, mature step forward in the inspiring balancing act that is her career. While starring on television, in film, and on Broadway, she has also managed to produce a steady stream of R&B hits. With NEXT, Williams calls on such contemporary R&B luminaries as R. Kelly, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, whose production and instrumental performances grace the album with a lush atmosphere and warm sound befitting its serious, mature tone.

From the acerbic "Who Were You Thinkin' 'Bout" to the mournful "And If I Ever," Williams shows a range of emotion that can only be the result of a life in the theater, injecting a dramatic intensity into her accomplished vocal performances. Taking on "Someone Like You" by Van Morrison, she gives it a gentle, soulful reading, powerful and free of pretense. Closing with the epic "Oh How The Years Go By," NEXT proves as varied and powerful as the multi-talented Vanessa Williams herself.