CHERRELLE

“Affair.” Tabu ***

Cherrelle’s sound and image have always been sly, upbeat and youthful, but there’s a deep sadness that permeates most of the tracks on this very adult, personal-sounding album. Cherrelle appears so desolate opposite vocalist Alexander O’Neal on “Everything I Miss at Home” that the song is practically tear-drenched. Tracks like “My Friend” and “Lucky,” both of which she had a hand in writing and producing, feature the strongest singing Cherrelle has ever done. The last time Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced an album this seemingly autobiographical, it was Janet Jackson’s “Control.” Though darker in tone, Cherrelle’s “Affair” is equally affecting.