On the intriguingly-titled followup album to her 1999 breakthrough debut, On How Life Is, Gray offers up a whopping serving of her infectious, retro-sounding soul-funk on such free-spirited songs as Relating To A Psychopath, Gimme All Your Lovin' Or I Will Kill You and Freak Like Me.

Elsewhere, there are mixed messages of both strength and weakness. For example, in the mid-tempo ballad Boo, Gray sings in her crazy-voiced purr: "The way he treats me/It's obvious he's confusing me for some dumb bitch who will stick around/I tend to stick around."

Finally, Gray just lets go on the funky, disco dance song Sexual Revolution, where she proclaims: "I got to be/To be the freak that God made me/So many thangz that I want to try/Got to do them before I die." On Harry, she advises an unwanted boyfriend: "Love is not my thing right now/All I want to do is swing."

As for guest appearances, she takes on Slick Rick's kiddie rap hit and makes it her own on Hey Young World Part 2, but overpowers both Erykah Badu and Sunshine Anderson on the midtempo Sweet Baby and Don't Come Around, respectively. A better bet is is the upbeat My Nutmeg Phantasy featuring Angie Stone and Mos Def.

The album's one serious misstep is Oblivion, which sounds like bad musical theatre. (More on: