Rating: **** (4 out of 4)

Availability: Widely Available

Let's make an observation. Idina Menzel is yet another typical diva singer practicing vocal histrionics far beyond those of mortal men or women while singing deeply personal songs written by herself and at deep emotional expense designed to leave you drained and feeling worthless. Right so far?

Not exactly.

Parts of this statement are true. Idina Menzel is a diva, but not typical. She does practice vocal histrionics beyond the range of men and women in general, but she's nowhere near as annoying with them as, say, Mariah Carey. She does write deeply personal songs, but there's an element in many of them that is missing in most of the genre. Dare one say it? Idina Menzel at times sounds... satisfied.

Perhaps this is the primary difference between Idina and other divas. She writes songs from the heart that are fun and joyous, like the first single, "Minuet." Some of her harsh music comes in the form of stories about other people, such as the industrial-tinged "Larissa's Lagoon," while her Tori Amos-esque "Straw Into Gold" kicks into a deep, soulful rumble.

It's Idina's impish streak that takes the record to interesting heights, as in her tribute to sexual experimentation, "All of the Above," her all-out rock stomp "Planet Z," and "Fool Out of Me." The concerns Idina sings about are human concerns, and the sense of humor is more than a little bit surreal.

If this album suffers from anything, it's from a lack of something we know Idina is absolutely fantastic at. Idina is at top form when she's singing all-out, pedal-to-the-metal, stop-me-if-you-dare soul, and in this self-authored debut, she allows herself very little space to flex those muscles we know are there, the muscles she displayed in her run as Maureen in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's Rent and in countless personal appearances. Regardless of this fact, however, the album is a fantastic initial solo release that should mark the beginning of a successful solo career for The Diva.

Keep it up, Idina. We're behind you 100 percent.