With a dash of flirty romance, jazzy gospel singer is now traveling the back roads rather than heaven’s highway

Working with Harry Connick, Jr., Stevie Wonder and Missy Elliot has earned gospel singer extraordinaire Kim Burrell a pass to do whatever she desires, but lately her career directions seems to suggests a woman lost in an amusement park maze. She’s teased eyes with her fishnet fetishes, allegedly fumbled with prospects of a reality-TV show and endorsements while encouraging her fans with obvious crossover bait (particularly with two televised Whitney Houston tributes). Gospel music may be the Houston native’s background, but the Krishnar Lewis-directed music video, “Sweeter,” points to newer aspirations in the foreground. Certainly the qualms on religious message boards are growing hotter and hotter with every passing day as Burrell – using the Quiet Storm sultriness of the Isley Brothers’ a la “Between the Sheets” – shows off some of her skin (and her drastic 100-pound loss) in the new video. She’s also using the Jay-Z/”More Money, More Cash…” umbrella to showcase a beautiful Manzanillo, Mexico backdrop loaded with lush paradise exotica. Her inner ambitions to flaunt off the “Good Life” are respectable and should be commended and it’s always a turn-on to see a woman comfortable in her own skin. But this may be the first time for Burrell where the picture doesn’t match the music. And if you thought her sexy video was out of touch, you’re bound to get a kick out of her Love Project album cover. It’s simply unflattering. In the words of Stevie Wonder, it looks as if her album’s budget is “in need of love today.”

J MATTHEW COBB