If you haven't heard of this exquisite, genre-defying Middle Eastern diva, you may soon. Her latest release features more English vocals than any of her previous recordings (she usually sings in a mixture of Arabic, French, and Hindi) and a ton of guest vocalists and rappers, making it an undeniable attempt to find a wider audience. Thankfully, Something Dangerous does not seem like a dreaded sell-out effort; while unquestionably Atlas's most accessible recording to date, it's also a diverse, still adventurous, rock-solid set of songs that stays afloat throughout its 72 minutes.

The sumptuously orchestrated opener, "Adam's Lullaby" (arranged by composer Jocelyn Pook), leads you to expect an elegant, subdued album, a preconception gleefully shattered by what follows. Wickedly infectious groove numbers like "Eye of the Duck" and "Janamaan" show the avant-rap influence of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot (Atlas has said she wants to collaborate with her; why hasn't this happened yet?), mixing reggae toasts and electronically altered vocals with Indian-keyed organ riffs, squishy trampoline rhythms and Atlas's dulcet, slithering coos. On the title track, she fluidly alternates with the more American-sounding Princess Julianna, and when their voices periodically unite, you can hear a cunning fusion of contemporary R&B and world music that creates something truly new without compromising either genre.

Atlas scopes out all the possibilities such a fusion allows as she trades verses with other divas, like Sinead O'Connor ("Simple Heart", which is not dissimilar to O'Connor's more rhythmic efforts) and Niara Scarlett (on the funk workout "Who's My Baby"). She lets her guests shine, but sometimes a little too much -- as captivating as "Eye of the Duck" is, you wish it had a little more of Atlas on it. While she's in fine voice throughout, she only truly lets loose on her solo features. "Daymalhum", for instance, is a pulsating techno centerpiece (produced by her former Transglobal Underground bandmates Temple of Sound), with her otherworldly wail gliding in, out, and all around the massive synthetic backdrop. And towards the end, the attention returns exclusively to her, culminating in "Like The Last Drop", a hypnotic, Diamanda Galas-worthy eight-minute maelstrom of a closer.

On 2001's Ayeshteni, Atlas made headlines with an inspired cover of Screaming Jay Hawkins's "I Put A Spell On You". This time out, she remakes James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" (re-titled "Man's World" here). Initially, it simply doesn't seem as original or, um, spellbinding a choice as Hawkins's tune. Even though having a woman sing this lyric puts an intriguingly feminist slant on it, Atlas is by no means the first one to do it, and the programmed string background hues awfully close to Brown's version. Still, the song's melodramatic chord changes and acrobatic high register vocal swoops are ideal for Atlas; she suffuses the piece with a commanding sense of longing and regret that's eerily beautiful and startlingly urgent. It may seem like another step towards the mainstream for Atlas, but she continually proves herself capable of expanding her palette without losing herself in the process.