Alice is clearly a more experienced person than she used to be six years ago, and that finds its perfect reflection on She, a more mature album than its robust predecessor. The vocalist tends to use her impressive four-octave voice with soul-minded intensity and jazz-laden prowess. The subtle keys-based arrangements allow her to be in the spotlight most of the time. Her genuine talent gets revealed as soon as a 40-second a cappella introduction for ?Cabaret? makes its presence felt. It's easily the best track on the album retaining an ideal balance between infectiousness and sophistication, accentuated by a resplendent operatic bridge. In addition, the lines: ?I see no reason for chasing/In Hollywood, got to lose my patience? in the song's vigorous chorus make it feel relevant, closely corresponding to the singer's unwillingness to compromise her artistic integrity.

Further on, Alice expands her deeply personal take on soul music with the assistance of Rebecca Jordan, Reginald Perry and Syience. The ballads they craft are decidedly diverse in style though. ?Ocean? contrasts gorgeous folk-derived verses with a bit too lightweight chorus, while piano-driven ?Another Love? is a bitter, if painfully honest break-up song that finds Alice at her most earnest and resigned. Plenty of tunes overflow with grace that defines old soul music. The wonderfully subdued rumble of ?Shot? is juxtaposed with dignified ?Loyalty,? a superb throwback to the 1960s that wears the Etta James leanings on its sleeve. Another highlight is the elusive title track which ends the disc on a reassuring note with its darkly-tinged production. On the other hand, the sole cut that feels redundant is the Cee Lo Green cover, ?Fool For You.? Even though the song borrowed from The Lady Killer is amazing, the reasoning behind its inclusion without any alterations to the original version seems questionable at best.(by Greg Fisher)