Human Factor

The NAC format is a true godsend for those artists whose styles skirt the over lapping territories of pop and jazz without snuggling too cozily into either one. Vocalist Susan J. Paul combines the most striking elements of both genres, even venturing once or twice into percussive world music on her attractive debut. Compared on occasion to Rickie Lee Jones (though Paul's pipes are all at once much smoother yet less distinctive), Paul serves up some sly and creative challenges to go along with the requisite and attention grabbing hooks present throughout. Despite all the airplay a few of these tracks received, Paul did a quick fade and was no longer a factor in her chosen genre by the mid-'90s.