Music: Voyage To India

Consider Arie’s first overwrought words–“The only thing constant in the world is change”–fair warning. It’s a New Age cliche attack! Arie, who scored seven Grammy nominations for her debut, Acoustic Soul, continues her quest to be mama to the hip-hop generation, and she doesn’t care if her lyrical chicken soup is too trite for Hallmark. On Talk to Her, she reminds men that every woman is “somebody’s sister.” Slow Down warns against moving too fast with “your hands in the air and your feet on the gas.” The music, guitar folk with a dash of hip-hop rhythm, is equally predictable. She makes Jewel seem outrageous. –J.T.