Post-crash, Brandy sings a new tune

You can't blame Brandy for being a little nervous about stepping back into the recording studio. Four years have passed since the release of her fourth album, "Afrodisiac." And it has been just two years since her headline-making car accident in which another driver died.

"Once you get into a zone, it's hard to come out," said Brandy, who will not face criminal charges but still faces a wrongful-death lawsuit that goes to trial in April. "What I experienced in the past couple of years was tough, but I had to face it and find the strength to move forward. Connecting back with music has definitely helped me through everything. Once I got back in the studio, the butterflies went away."

Music's uplifting power provided the thematic undercurrent for "Human," due Dec. 9. The project reunites Brandy with songwriter/producer Rodney Jerkins, who first worked with the singer on her 1998 multiplatinum sophomore set, "Never Say Never."

Jerkins, the executive producer of "Human," also produced the first two singles: the uptempo "Right Here (Departed)" and "Long Distance."

"We have great musical chemistry," Jerkins said. " 'Departed' was the first song we did together after reuniting. And that says a lot: Most of the time you don't find the single until you're at the end of a project."

Brandy rose to prominence at 15 with her 1994 self-titled debut. Between recordings, she also starred in the popular '90s TV show "Moesha."

Anxious now to reconnect musically, Brandy said it's actually an audience of one that keeps her going - her 6-year-old daughter. *