Ali’s Voice Packs Punch

Ali is best known as an alumna of the NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” but the Harvard-bound thespian does more on her debut album than just pass the time between acting gigs. She sings on the level of a Brandy or Monica with cool, intelligent subtlety. It’s easy to imagine her building her own hit-making power base.

Unfortunately, most of this collection features songs that even an Aretha Franklin couldn’t make interesting. “Daydreamin’ “--no, not the Franklin classic--has rap-spiced charm, but it doesn’t exactly make a profound impression. Profound is the deeply soulful “He Loves Me,” which reveals the singer’s incredible range. That track alone proves that Ali has a depth and emotional intensity that this album doesn’t fully explore. She’s young, though--only 19. The talent and potential are there. The taste in song selection is another matter entirely.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two (fair), three (good) and four (excellent).