Keri Hilson Drops Her Album: "In A Perfect World"

"In a Perfect World . . . " might be Keri Hilson's debut album, but it's hardly the work of a record-biz neophyte. As part of the Clutch, an Atlanta-based songwriting squad, Hilson has spent the last few years penning hits for such A-list acts as Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige, and in 2007 she dominated Top 40 radio as the female voice on Timbaland's smash "The Way I Are."

She's not shy about using her connections, either: "Perfect World" features production by Timbaland, Danja and Polow da Don, and sports guest appearances from bigwigs including Lil Wayne, Akon, Kanye West and Ne-Yo.

All that star power can leave little room in these futuristic R&B songs for Hilson, whose sturdy but unremarkable voice rarely transcends its role as a melody-delivery device. In impeccably arranged tracks like "Turnin Me On" and "Slow Dance" (the latter co-written by Justin Timberlake), Hilson describes the ecstasy of desire with all the warmth of an alien observing life on Planet Earth. And compared with Keyshia Cole's and Trina's typically fiery turns in "Get Your Money Up," Hilson comes off like somebody Polow hired as an in-studio chaperon.

She fares much better in the handful of cameo-free cuts, such as "Make Love," where she trills seductively over a slinky slow-jam groove, and "Intuition," a top-shelf Timbaland joint with a haunting minor-key refrain ("I've got this crazy feeling / I'm gonna be single again") that Hilson truly sells.

-- Mikael Wood

Keri Hilson
"In a Perfect World . . . "
(Interscope)
Two stars

A New Appreciation For Lil Kim

After seeing Notorious I've come to have a new appreciation for Lil` Kim. Although she's been catching heat for her recent color transformation, it's obvious she still has image issues. Really though how would you feel if you stood by someone's side constantly, yet they chose to have someone else be on their arm to the public. Big dogged her out, changed her style, and made her famous; but Kim was looking for love. Now a regular girl might just say oh well his loss but, touch her heart enough and there's no telling what she'll do.

After a stint in prison, exstensive surgery, and skin lightening Kim has emerged as a new woman. Currently appearing on dancing with the stars, which she fell in love with while watching the show in prison. Not suprisingly she's doing well and I would love to see her win. Notorious left her vulnerable and allowed fans to catch a glimpse of Kim before the lights came on. So being on this show might be good timing, maybe it'll help her realize that what's on the inside determine's real beauty.

It feels like she needs to find a way to love her self as she is. No more surgeries or skin treatments. This idea of trying to create beauty instead of embrassing yourself as you are seems as though its becoming an epidemic. The average person has had or has thought about some type of elective corrective surgery. why can't more people love themselves? What can we as a cultre do to help more people love who they are and what they look like?

-TT