***1/2 CRYSTAL WATERS

(Mercury)

Waters sings her third CD in the same flat, Esther Phillips-like drawl that first made her reputation in "Gypsy Lady (She's Homeless)." Grinning her way through the various stages of a sweaty get-down, she moves from flirtatious openers ("Momma Told Me," "Love I Found") to gyroscopic repartee ("Spin Me," "Say . . . If You Feel Alright") to taking the plunge ("Passion," "Female Intuition," and "Just a Freak" -- this one includes a dialogue with Dennis Rodman, who ought to know) with a scratchy realism all her own. There's no mistaking her dry drollery, so felicitously paired to the Basement Boys' light-touch house rhythms. If funky realism means more to you than mere drama or sonic couture, Waters is your dance victim.

-- Michael Freedberg