An intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking, that is Webster definition of the word Epiphany. Which happens to be the name of Chrisette Michele's sophomore album, the follow up to critically acclaimed, but commercially panned 2007 release I Am. An album that saw Chrisette write or co-write all 13 tracks that appeared on it.

Epiphany marks a significant change in the composition of her writing team, as none of the writers from her debut penned any lyrics for it. Christte herself is relegated to co-writing duties on only 3 of the 12 tracks. Initially I thought the title of the album was a reference to the breaking points and defining moments of various relationships, and assumed that would be the general theme of the album. However as I listened to the album, I began to fear that it was reference to the perceived notion that she would never reach a wider audience unless she made a radical change. Whether or not that is the case is highly debatable, but there was an interesting pattern that emerged as I began my second listen of the tracks...

After I listened to the album for the second time, I decided to write down my four favorite tracks with the intention to reference them in this review.

First fave: "Epiphany" - a catchy tune with creative production and female anthem like lyrics.
Written by: Ne-Yo

Second fave: "Blame it on me" - An honest, heartfelt, emotion filled, beautiful track, with great lyrics. Perfect for displaying Chrisette's range and unique voice.
Written by: Chrisette Michele

Third Fave: "Fragile" - A faster tempo, creatively produced track, with great lyrics. Chrisette seems very comfortable on this one and her vocals are smoking.
Written by: Chrisette Michele

Fourth Fave: "Mr. Right" - A slightly retro sounding track, nice hook and great lyrics. This sounds like she was having a lot of fun singing it .
Written by: Chrisette Michele

Was it a coincidence that my favorite tracks were the one's that she wrote? Now that's not to say that the other tracks are bad or mediocre. In fact this is an excellent R&B album, but I just found myself gravitating towards the ones that were less R&B and more soulful/creative.

Here's the bottom line: Epiphany is a rock-solid R&B album with flashes of soul. Chrisette Michele is an immensely talented singer/songwriter with a powerful yet unique voice. The tracks on this release were written to get that talent and voice to a wider audience without completely losing her identity, and that's exactly what Epiphany does.