** Jocelyn Enriquez

JOCELYN

(Tommy Boy)

Why apply sentimental beats and deep dramatic hooks to a persona as ruthless as the 900-number sex babe whom Enriquez depicts in her debut CD? Twenty-plus years into the disco era, one expects dance babes to extend their reach beyond this (a dimension Donna Summer had already achieved on 1978's Once upon a Time), or at least plant some ego atop the orgasm-as-concept.

Enriquez, however, is no Donna Summer and definitely no diva; she brushes aside the ornamentation of her supporting music. Whether its tone be fragrant Euro ("Only You," "Can You Feel It"), breezy freestyle ("Everything I Need," "Get into the Rhythm"), or Delphic house beat ("A Little Bit of Ecstasy," the club hit), she goes for the gonads. Unconnected to the music, the words of the hit say it all: "Gimme what I want 'cuz what I want is what you need."

-- Michael Freedberg