Singer Monica is back with her sixth album “Still Standing” proving that her time off has made her a stronger, more introspective artist.

Although the music veteran’s voice is just as vocally strapping as her self-titled debut over ten years ago, Monica’s growth and apparent wisdom has translated into a much more powerful, heartfelt delivery. Assembling the likes of song-writers Bryan Michael Cox, Missy Elliott and Jazmine Sullivan “Still Standing” is just the quality R&B we’ve grown to expect from her.

Following the highs and lows of relationships the album stands out as concrete effort in that Monica is confident enough in her sound not to stray too far from her comfort zone. Led by the single “Everything to Me,” the Atlanta native tries her hand at sampling Deniece Williams’ famously high-pitched single “Silly.” Although she never reaches Williams’ elevated octaves Monica provides a new spin on an old school classic. Unlike the original, which finds a heartbroken and disheveled woman realizing her stupidity at the hands of an uninterested lover, “Everything to Me” illustrates the happiness in finding true love. Songs following the same pattern include “Love All Over Me,” and “Superman.”

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