After the Storm

"New Monica!" shouts Missy Elliott on the single "So Gone," one of five cuts she co-wrote and produced for After the Storm, the singer's first domestic album since 1998. (An earlier, much different version of the record is available as the import All Eyez on Me.) Drama is the key word here, from the disc's title on down. Miss E, of course, brings much spark and grit, but even some of the non-Elliott cuts are virtual arias of romance and self-fulfillment, with Monica Arnold pledging her devotion on one track, demanding her key back on another. The album's success puts her career and artistry back on track, while encouraging hope for more collaboration along the lines of the exciting Missy stuff here. --Rickey Wright