**1/2 Celeda

THIS IS IT

(Twisted)

It's a good thing that, like Sylvester 25 years ago, Celeda made the "ultimate and courageous decision to live as a transvestite," as the CD's publicity states. Because it'll get her plenty of media attention, maybe even sell the CD. But as a singer she just doesn't cut it. Her narrow-ranging, wooden vocals lack the distinctiveness of other dance-floor divas': the grace of Joi Cardwell, the fire of Sabrina Johnston, Loleatta Holloway's scream, the muscle of Martha Wash. And they certainly don't have the choirboy sublimity of Sylvester. At her best, in the gospel shout "Try Again," she sounds joyously hard and husky, but exactly like classic gospel singer Dorothy Love Coates. The good news is that though the routine quality of her singing puts the CD's fate entirely in her producers' hands, that's hardly a problem when DJs like E-Smoove, Cevin Fisher, Mike Dunn, the Heavy Hitters, and Danny Tenaglia are on hand to boom the likes of "Burnin' Up," "Happy," "I'm Grateful," "Messin' with My Mind," and, most deep and dominant of all, the anthemic "Be Yourself."

-- Michael Freedberg