Monica is back! Last week she released her 5th album, “Still Standing.”

In her last album, “The Makings of Me” it was clear that she was trying too hard to be contemporary. In “Still Standing” she’s found her sound again, and is giving us “classic Monica.” Unfortunately “classic Monica” can read 90s and this album sounds like it could have easily been released back in the 90s.

The album consists of traditional R&B songs, mostly ballad and mid-tempo. Despite the lack of originality in sound, the songs are all sung beautifully. It’s no secret that Monica has a beautiful voice; all of her albums are evidence of that. Not to mention no one sings about heartbreak, love, strength, and pain like Monica and that doesn’t change in this album.

There are love ballads like “Everything to Me”, “One In a Lifetime”, and “Love All Over Me.” Call-to-power mid-tempo’s like “Stay or Go” and “Mirror.” The ever-empowering song “Still Standing” is a definite stand out, and my personal favorites are “Here I Am” and “If You Were My Man.”

There really is a song on this album for everybody.  It’s by no means a “love bashing” or “love gushing” album. The album lyrically, speaks to a plethora of situations. All in all it’s a solid album, but not a classic. Nothing stands out about it. It’s just a series of nice songs. To her credit, its rare to find a album that you can play straight through, and “Still Standing” defiantly fits that mold. 

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• Sylvia Obell