Chanté Moore

Chante Moore possesses a soothing voice that coos softly and dreamily into your ear. She once again proves that she all the makings of an R&B, neo-jazz diva on Love the Woman, carrying herself with grace and class that many of her diva-like peers are often lacking. While it's true that Moore doesn't quite have, or even bother to attempt, the glass, mirror and other assorted valuable shattering range of fellow R&B songstresses such as Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston, she does sing her ass off in a much more subtle but just as high impact way.

It doesn't hurt that Moore looks absolutely fabulous at the age of 41. Her voice hasn't cracked, diminished or lost its luster through the years, either. She's a singer ripe for the average Jane's taking. On the album, Moore prefers to keep things level and to hang out smack dab in the middle of the road, establishing herself as somewhat of a diva by the people, of the people and for the people.

Love the Woman is a warm 'n cozy slice of urban, yet adult contemporary music that any gal who likes to sip on a Cosmopolitan or to have Sex and the City DVD marathons with her girlfriends. For the most part, Moore's songs are slow, but she isn't afraid to speed up the tempo and invite her listeners in for a little barefoot dance session, either.

— Amy Sciarretto
06.06.08

Following two Top Ten R&B albums with husband Kenny Lattimore, Chanté Moore goes alone for the first time since 2000's Exposed. Her fifth solo album, Love the Woman, won't catch anyone off guard, especially those who heard the Moore/Lattimore albums. It sounds like a natural extension of Exposed, in fact, even though it clearly had a lower production budget (she's now on an independent) and is not aiming at the pop chart; while Tim & Bob, "Tricky" Stewart, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Jermaine Dupri collaborated on Exposed, the names here -- like George Duke and Raphael Saadiq -- aren't quite as mainstream-oriented. Moore switches between directly addressing issues within mature relationships and reflective material that is often closer to life coaching than soul searching. There's enough space left for some seduction, too, but since many of the slow-pulse productions run together, with little to distinguish themselves from one another, it can take a couple listens to grasp which is which. It doesn't help that the only truly uptempo track, "Can't Do It," does not fit into this smooth and polished set in any way, with its vinyl crackle, overbearing horn blurts, touches of unnecessary vocal effects, and lyrics Moore does not seem to be feeling all that much. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide