Best known for her cameos on
Ice Cube records,
Ms. Toi offers her first solo album with
That Girl. The lead single, "Hand Clap," is a horn-filled confection that sounds like a pale reworking of
Eve's "Who's That Girl?" Several tracks on the album, such as "Hand Clap" and the title track, "That Girl," suffer from sub-par lyrics. Various cameos bring some energy to the project: the unmistakable slanguistics of Oakland rapper
E-40 boosts "Work a Twist," and "Be Like Me" features the handywork of
St. Lunatics Nelly, Ali, and Murphy Lee. While
That Girl is a respectable solo effort,
Ms. Toi relies too heavily on other artists to provide her music with any lyrical punch. ~ Jon Azpiri