A self-starting talent of the first order, Conya Doss has been quietly blazing her own trail in R&B since her self-released 2002 debut, A Poem About Ms. Doss. Over the subsequent decade, Doss has recorded a string of accomplished albums, deliberately forgoing major-label assistance in order to maintain creative control of her work. Doss’ determinedly independent stance has placed her outside the R&B mainstream, but if the breathtakingly assured Pocketful of Purpose is anything to judge by, her self-reliance is starting to pay considerable creative dividends. Doss has always made grown-folks music, writing seriously about life’s everyday challenges with keen observational insight. But on Pocketful of Purpose, she displays a new level of strength and maturity as a singer and songwriter. On “Jamie,” she paints a compelling portrait of a talented young vocalist who sacrifices artistic integrity on the road to fame and fortune, and on the touching “Letter” she sings from the perspective of a mother offering love and advice to her young son. Pocketful of Purpose is another rewarding effort from one of R&B’s most fiercely independent voices.