It's almost summer. School is drawing to a close. The sun is out. The air is humid and pheremone-heavy. 'Tis the season for frantic fumblings in the backseats of cars... for worn-out shocks, fog-steamed windows and broken bedsprings. For droplets of perspiration rolling down your nude flesh, red marks on your neck and fingernails in your back. Forget Aviance nights: These are the times for which the music of Ultra Nate is made.

Discovered at a spry 18 years of age , Nate is best known for "Free," a staple on the international club circuit. Blending hip-hop's attitude with the warmth and sensuality of a samba, she emotes with the strength and presence of Queen Latifah and Erykah Badu. And not unlike the aforementioned icons, she gives us plenty of insight on the nature of a sista.

A dancehall diva with an extraordinary sense of rhythm, Nate exudes the ripe passion of a torch singer on tunes that meld the acoustic and the electronic to delightful effect. She takes old-school elements and infuses them with a fresh energy on "New Kind of Medicine," but "Love You Can't Deny" sounds as though it's had a few spins too many on Todd Terry's turntable. Overall, the music is both artful and danceable, but Nate fares best when it takes a backseat to her vocals; on "Release the Pressure," spare beats combined with simple acoustic guitar tracks create a soundscape in which her soulful voice flourishes.

Situation: Critical is an ideal soundtrack for tepid summer nights when you're baring as much skin as possible without committing indecent exposure, casting come-hither glances at a prospective conquest. And guaranteed to bring out the dancing queen who gyrates in the hearts of all of us.

-Susan Moll