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Young R&B star Mya got some mileage from her 1998 debut album's "It's All About Me" and "My First Night with You," but made her deepest marks that year with cameos on two film-related hip-hop singles, Pras Michel's "Ghetto Supastar" and Blackstreet's "Take Me There." Back with her own second release, Fear of Flying, she aims to solidify her identity. The promising title--perhaps a nod to Erica Jong's groundbreaking '70s novel about liberated female sexuality?--turns out to be a reference to commitment-phobia. The high must be followed by heartbreak, the song implies. That theme resounds in various ways through many of the record's other tracks, from the sneering "Case of the Ex" to the bouncing "Lie Detector" (which showcases dancehall king Beenie Man). Mya grabs for a piece of her own freedom with the party celebration and Left Eye duet "Takin' Me Over," which comes as a welcome change of pace from the focus on failed romance. Fear of Flying is hardly a great album, but it does represent a real step forward for the singer. --Bob Roget