Phases: A Memoir

Moesha star and R&B singer-songwriter Brandy debuts with a solid overview of her career that pays special attention to her faith and her fraught relationship with her mother. The account kicks off with a five-year-old Brandy stricken by stage fright and struggling to sing a hymn at her new church in 1984 Carson, Calif. (“If I could coax the first [note], I knew the rest would follow, spilling like a summer stream over a smooth river rock.”) From there, she recalls falling in love with the music of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and, at 11, entering a talent competition that led to a gig singing backup for boy band Immature. Other career highs include her work on the sitcom Thea, recording her debut album, and landing the role of Cinderella alongside Houston for a 1997 TV musical. Brandy tempers the glee with somber reflections on her mother’s tenure as her manager (“I really wanted a mother-daughter relationship where it was just us spending time together,” she tells her mom at one point). Ultimately, she finds peace by focusing on her “gift and [her] faith.” Though the account rarely strays from music memoir tropes, Brandy’s fans will get just what they came for. This gets the job done. Agent: Carlos Segarra, CAA. (Mar.)