Music Review: Elle Varner's debut disc is R&B gold

This CD cover image released by RCA Records shows the latest release by Elle Varner, "Perfectly Imperfect." (AP Photo/RCA Records)

Elle Varner, "Perfectly Imperfect" (RCA Records)

Elle Varner's debut album is titled, "Perfectly Imperfect," but she should have called it "Perfect." The newcomer's 11-track set is pure excellence, full of R&B gems that are silky, smooth and jamming.

Her voice — raspy at times, soft at others — is the focal point of the album as it glides over songs and adapts to the different beats, which include hip-hop ("Only Wanna Give It to You," ''I Don't Care"), funk-soul ("So Fly") and contemporary R&B ("Welcome Home").

"Stop the Clock" is flavorful and addictive, thanks to its dramatic beat and the sound of handclapping dominating the chorus. "Refill," a Top 10 R&B hit, is velvety and could easily be a TV jingle.

Producers Oak & Pop, best known for their work on Nicki Minaj's "Your Love" and Big Sean's "Marvin and Chardonnay," helm most of the songs, though Varner's father, Jimmy Varner, co-writes and produces some of the tracks, and her mother, Mikelyn Roderick, works as a vocal producer and background singer. Varner, a graduate of Clive Davis' music school at New York University, co-wrote each song, and she's got a skill with the pen.

On "Not Tonight," the twentysomething is magically vulnerable, singing about being too scared to approach a man she's interested in. She starts off slow, building her vocals and words, and it makes for a touching track. She's also exposed on "So Fly," a perky outtake about being insecure about her weight and image. On the song, the big-haired, hipster-looking Varner — in a beautiful tone — asks: "How can I ever compete with 34 Double D's?"

With that voice, and with this album.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Stop the Clock" is a future hit.

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