by Alex HendersonLalah Hathaway should have become as big a name in 1990s R&B as the equally talented and equally Chaka Khan-influenced Mary J. Blige, but regrettably, the singer never became as visible as she should have been. Donny Hathaway's daughter didn't record often enough (four years passed between her first album and her sophomore effort A Moment), and unlike Blige, she never provided a consistently excellent album. Like Lalah Hathaway, A Moment is a mixed bag ranging from the strong to the decent to the routine (depending on who's producing and/or writing a particular song). Hathaway is well served by Sami McKinney on "Do You Suppose" and the melancholy "Better as a Memory" and by Martyn Ware on a likable remake of Sly and the Family Stone's "Family Affair." Chuckii Booker's work on Hathaway's first album was ho-hum, but this time, he comes through for her with the angrily funky "Bad By Myself." Unfortunately, "ho-hum" describes the contributions of Brian Alexander Morgan on "Let Me Love You" and Keith Ware on "Lean On Me" (which Hathaway co-wrote) and "Separate Ways." Overall, this is a slightly weaker effort than Hathaway's debut. One hoped that eventually, she would live up to her promise and deliver a truly outstanding album, one that would become a huge name in R&B.