Hil St. Soul - Black Rose

British R&B/Soul duo Hil St. Soul (pronounced Hill Saint Soul) may not be huge in the U.S., but over the course of their career, they've established themselves as a solid, credible music act. And on their third album, Black Rose (released in the U.S. on June 10, 2008) singer-songwriter Hilary Mwelwa and producer Victor Redwood-Sawyerr continue their no-frills, gimmick-free brand of mainstream new Soul music while at the same time displaying an increased lyrical maturity. Topic-wise, Black Rose is diverse; the album covers poverty, domestic abuse and personal upliftment as well as the usual love/relationship songs.

Hil St. Soul singer Hilary Mwelwa doesn't have the most powerful voice, but what she lacks in volume she makes up for in tone and texture. On some tracks, like the heartbreak song "Broken Again" and the reminiscing "Sweetest Days," her voice sounds thicker than a milkshake and as rich as honey. And just as solid as the singing is the lyrical content, which in addition to being very personal is simple and accessible without being dumbed-down.

Even better, there's a wealth of different topics here, not just the usual looking for love/in love/out of love songs. On "Don't Forget The Ghetto," Hilary sings about remembering those less fortunate than yourself and on "If I Was You," she urges a woman to get out of an abusive relationship. "Get out while you can and while you're still in one piece," she sings. And on the title track she gives a pep talk to all the sistas out there (or as she calls them, black roses) struggling through life: "Rise above adversity, stay strong and keep movin' on," Hilary sings. The only problem is that black roses are traditionally used as symbols of death or hatred, so using the term 'black rose' to refer to black women, while well-meaning, is a double-edged sword.

Overall, the album is solid if unspectacular. The track production isn't stellar, but still a nice change of pace from the same half-dozen producers that seem to helm 75 percent of the albums in the U.S. R&B market these days. Unlike those albums, Black Rose sounds fresh and original, organic and real, not like it was conceived by a hit-making machine.