Several years after she ceased to matter to FM radio playlists, Jody Watley, who began her singing career almost 25 years ago with the disco-soul trio Shalamar, has made her most useful CD ever. Far from the Janet Jackson imitations former boyfriend/producer Andre Cymone (ex the Time) imposed on her, and from the new-jill clichés that besmirched so many of her post-Shalamar solo albums, Watley reveals herself a masterful singer of recitative. She at last possesses a voice that commands attention, a contralto both introverted and flawed, in which she expresses private hurts ("Skin Deep"), longings (the title song), and misgivings ("Don’t Give Up"), as well as a soupçon of Chic ("Photographs," recalling "Good Times"). Produced by herself and Rodney Lee, the disc ranges from soft, garage-style house music (on the title song and "Whenever") to gloomy/moody atmospherics ("Clouds" and "Don’t Give Up") to echoes, in "I Love To Love," of "The Second Time Around," her best-remembered Shalamar hit. Club DJs in search of a late-night aftereffect (and their fans, wondering where all the evening’s high hopes went) will want to add this slice of Watley at her best to their turntable improvisations.