atacha Atlas strikes a Mariah Carey pose for the cover of Something Dangerous -- which says more than she possibly intended about the music contained inside. With hair flowing in the breeze, index finger on lips, and another on her breast, it seems Atlas is ready for her breakthrough close-up. Fusing reggae, Hindi, hip-hop breaks (and penchant for guest appearances), smooth rhythm and blues, and harsh electronica with her characteristic Arabic vocal style and ambient dub grounding -- Atlas obviously has no qualms about alienating her Arabic purist fans.

With more English vocals than any of her previous solo work, as well as the first appearance of numerous guests, Something Dangerous has all the stylings of being the album to break Atlas into the US market. Sadly, it’s been a month or so since its release, and I have yet to hear any of her songs shaking the airwaves beyond the early morning “international” college radio show.

Atlas, of Sephardic Jew/Egyptian ancestry, sheds the somewhat strict (compared to Something Dangerous -- very strict) adherence to her Arabic roots of Ayeshteni and dives belly first into the world of crossover appeal. Opening with a theatrical, strung out (courtesy of the Prague Symphony Orchestra) ballad (“Adam’s Song”) co-written with film composer Jocelyn Pook ill-prepares the listener for the heavy dance beats, and hip-hop vocals of Transglobal Underground’s Tuup on “Eye of the Duck,” and Princess Julianna on the vaguely anti-war title track, “Something Dangerous.” Surprisingly, both tracks succeed in their genre blending thanks to some amazing production by Mike Nielsen, who has also worked (aptly) with Underworld and Jamiroquai.

After the unconvincing, yet beautifully arranged cover of James Brown’s “Man’s World,” the second half of the 72 minute album slows down a bit and allows for more of a showcase of Atlas’s voice. Two female chanteuses guest with Atlas: Sinead O’Connor on the it’s-the-little-things-that-count themed “Simple Heart,” and sometimes Cinematic Orchestra singer Niara Scarlett on the Top 40, R&B tinged “Who’s My Baby.” The latter is a decent slab of possible Top 40 material, with some nice production changes from Atlas’s to Scarlett’s vocals, but ultimately incongruent in its track order placing; sandwiched between the techno-ish “Daymalhum” and the stand-out “When I Close My Eyes (which should be a single, with its head-nodding beat, and beautiful interloping vocals between Atlas and Myra Boyle). Ending on a similar note that it started, “Like The Last Drop” is an eight minute long operatic crescendo, utilizing a number of Middle Eastern instruments: tablas, zither, shawm ba’on and fujara.

Although easily written off as a disorienting medley -- and appropriately so -- Something Dangerous still somehow manages to engulf the listener in its textures amidst its genre shuffling. It’s Atlas taking a risk: a push towards the hope of breakthrough success at the expense of a consistent and uniform piece as whole. I’ll still take it.