Mahogany Soul (2001)

In between paying homage to LaBelle, the O'Jays, Curtis, Marvin, and other R&B avatars, neo-soul gal Stone comes up with some corking-good tracks, like the ace ''Bottles and Cans'' (''I'd rather be picking up bottles and cans/ If you can't be my man'') and the easy-grooving ''Brotha,'' her tribute to black men. But too often Mahogany Souls falls into the same artistic cul-de-sac that made D'Angelo's ''Voodoo'' more admirable than enjoyable; the preponderance of tastefully atmospheric filler topped with melismatic vocal athletics makes ''Mahogany'' more so-so than soulful.