A preacher's daughter from Dallas, Texas, Chonita Gilbert is better known to the soul fraternity in the guise of Afro-topped neo-soul chanteuse, N'Dambi, a former backing vocalist for Erykah Badu who released three highly-regarded indie albums between 1999 and 2005 (for the record they were 'Little Girl Lost Blues,' 'Tunin' Up and Cosignin' and 'A Weird Kind Of Wonderful').

N'Dambi's major label debut is one of the significant soul albums of 2010. It's a fabulous set that reverberates with echoes from soul music's glorious past and yet is utterly fresh and contemporary. In a savvy move, N'Dambi recruited veteran west coast producer Leon Sylvers to helm her record and managed, as a result, to achieve a perfect stylistic balance between the past and the present and vintage and hip. It's a beguiling listen.

The opening cut, 'L.I.E.' is a modern urban classic – an arresting third person narrative describing a life of lies and subterfuge in suburbia over a lazy, sparse, rolling groove. It's an incisively ironic commentary on the fable of the American Dream and is totally compelling in the way that the song's words, melody and groove coalesce perfectly to tell a story that many people can relate to. No romantic platitudes, for N'Dambi then – like strong soul heroines of the past (think Millie Jackson and Betty Wright), she tells it like it is. Her sassy, no-nonsense attitude also manifests itself in the hook line of 'Can't Hardly Wait' – 'I don't know why I keep fuckin' with you,' she sings, reflecting on why she still persists with a no-good, dead-end relationship.

Another killer cut is 'Daisy Chain,' an upbeat retro-number that sounds like it could have been recorded at Stax in the late-'60s or early-'70s – like a cross between Jean Knight's 'Mr Big Stuff' and Betty Wright's 'Clean Up Woman,' it boasts an infectious pop-style chorus (there's also a revved-up dance mix of the track which is appended as a bonus track at the end of the album). Other highlights include the sweetly harmonised 'What It Takes,' the tender ballad 'Ooo Baby,' and the mellow, infectious retro-hued funk of 'Mind Blowin'.'

Not only is N'Dambi a superlative singer with a rich, contralto voice, but on 'Pink Elephant,' she reveals she's a top-notch songwriter whose lyrics are intelligent, witty and yet full of pathos and sensitivity – a rare feat in the vacuous and often cliché-ridden world of contemporary R&B. Destined to be a soul classic.