Samantha Cole - Samantha Cole (1997)

When Samantha Cole's self-titled debut album came out in the fall of 1997, the person she was most often compared to was Mariah Carey. And, to be sure, the two have a lot in common. Like Carey, Cole has a decent range, and like Carey's albums of the early to mid-'90s, this adult contemporary/pop/R&B CD is much too calculated for its own good. From the midtempo groove of "What You Do to Me" to sterile, mechanical ballads like "Shadow of Love" and "I'm by Your Side," Samantha Cole sounds like the result of a marketing meeting rather than true artistic inspiration. Every note is firmly in place, and not once does Cole sound even the least bit spontaneous on this consistently bland, generic effort. If Cole wanted to sound as contrived as possible, she accomplished her goal.~Samantha Cole Review by Alex Henderson