an intriguing cross between Carole King and Jody Watley, only now she has caught up with the times, or vice versa. Get Here's "Piano in the Dark" has landed in the Top Ten on some surprising credentials: it's adult, literate and relatively quiet. While the song's charms aren't readily apparent during the first listen, the melody blooms after a while. Russell's voice doesn't pack the bravura of, say, Whitney Houston's; her notes are simply more lived in.

Russell really starts to get interesting, though, when she swings a little. She steps into a mild growl on "Gravity" and "Midnight Eyes," but only after she nuzzles up to her notes does she pour on the heat, her phrasing at times remarkably similar to Dusty Springfield's. Russell's rhythms maintain a medium-fast tempo but don't outrun her, and they are never garish or gratuitous.

Russell has spent a lot of time in Europe lately – three of the songs on Get Here were recorded in Stockholm – and sometimes she's too eager to show off her cultural diversity. "Le Restaurant" wastes some moody sax by David Sanborn with lyrics like "He teased Françoise behind the bar." But Russell's self-indulgences barely tarnish the hard-won victory that she's earned with Get Here. No longer a young prospect but instead a seasoned veteran, Russell can make you regret that it took so long to get to know her. (RS 529)

ROB HOERBURGER