Fantasia Barrino appeared to be steered in the right direction on Side Effects of You, at least in a creative sense.

She was heavily involved in its writing, and it benefited from a limited number of collaborators.

The album topped the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.

None of the singles, however, performed well -- likely a reason for the album five switch-up.

Barrino co-wrote only one of its cuts, and primary Side Effects collaborator Harmony Samuels is out of the picture.

Hands-on executive producer Ron Fair (Mary J.

Blige, Keyshia Cole, Corinne Bailey Rae) is involved with each song in some capacity and oversees the input of over two-dozen fellow songwriters and producers.

Unsurprisingly, the results are scattered and disjointed.

The album starts with a cluttered, uptempo rock-R&B hybrid and never really stabilizes after that, abruptly moving into one of a few ballads suited more for a pop-oriented R&B artist, later involving a contemporary country number seemingly written by an algorithm, and a triumphant Tye Tribbett-driven gospel belter, among other approaches.

Even in this highly variable setting, the Aloe Blacc collaboration "Roller Coasters" is utterly bizarre, like something from Janelle Monáe's Wondaland camp if they sought inspiration from folk-rockers America.

One mark of consistency here is that Barrino often sounds like she's fulfilling roles, however effectively, rather than baring her soul.

The most favorable pairing is with R.

Kelly, who grants "Sleeping with the One I Love," a spacious, retro-styled ballad where Barrino is at her best, expressing anguish and conflicted emotions.

"See my baby's like a dream, but the other man, he haunts me" is the type of line she was born to sing.