The Comfort Zone

VANESSA WILLIAMS The Comfort Zone (Wing/Mercury) With 14 longish songs, beautifully sequenced and warmly sung, The Comfort Zone is less a pop record than the soundtrack to a giddy, heartfelt R&B stage musical about love-minus the man. While not possessed of the most sterling vocal gifts in the biz, former Miss America Williams nonetheless puts on a fine show. She comes out swinging, with the sweet sexual promises of the title track and the romantic ultimatum of ''Running Back to You,'' and closes Act One with the show-stopping happy tears of ''Best for Last'' and a bluesy, nightclub weeper, ''What Will I Tell My Heart.'' The second half's highlights include an unbeatable rhythm track in ''Freedom Dance'' and a sad, echoey curtain call, ''Goodbye.'' Through it all, the keyboard romps, the drums get busy, and a flute adds occasional breathy punctuation. Give the lady a great big hand. A -Arion Berger

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