DETROIT (Reuters) - R&B singer Macy Gray, who scored a major hit and a Grammy with the soulful ballad "I Try," says she understands what it's like to be so desperate for love she would practically kill for it.

That feeling comes through loud and clear in the aptly titled song "Gimme All Your Lovin' Or I Will Kill You," about a woman who pulls a gun on a reluctant lover -- one of 13 tracks featured on Gray's libido-charged sophomore album, "The Id."

"What the song is about is desperation," Gray, 34, a divorced mother of three, said in a recent interview. "It's about how you're always looking for love, you're always looking for satisfaction.

"It's kinda sad that she would kill for it, (that) she'd be put in that position where she would jack somebody for it, but that's what it's about," Gray said. "I would actually admire somebody who would go that far for it. I almost did ... I think that would be hot. I mean, she doesn't kill him in the end. In the end, it works; she gets what she wants, and it worked."

These may be dark and fearful days around the world, but Gray, recognized as much for her unruly coif as for her Aretha Franklin-meets-Betty-Boop vocal stylings, sees it as the ideal time to celebrate the carnal delights she sings about on "The Id," which was released on Sept. 11.

"I think 'The Id' is a perfect album for where we are right now, because it's up," she said. "It has a vibe in it, and it's fun and it picks you up and helps you escape, because it's so off the wall, so over the top."

TALKING ABOUT SEX

Born Natalie McIntyre, the Canton, Ohio, native began singing after studying screenwriting at the University of Southern California. Her 1999 debut album, "On How Life Is," went mutli-platinum and spawned last year's hit, "I Try," which earned the singer a Grammy in February for best female pop vocal performance.

But Gray said she and her collaborators felt little pressure in recording her follow-up release, "The Id," which debuted at No. 11 on pop charts.

"We just had a ball, like a big party making this record. I was just excited that we'd be able to do some new songs and stuff," she said.

Overall, the album revels in the kind of party vibe Gray describes -- sinewy, in-the-pocket funk grooves that bolster forceful brass arrangements and choral harmonies. Tracks such as "Young World" do have some serious points to make, but there's no question that "The Id" is most earnestly focused on sex -- having it, looking for it and, most importantly for Gray, enjoying it.

"That's a good part of everybody's life," she said. "I think if you do a record and you don't talk about sex, then you're being unnatural and something is up.

"But it's such a crucial part of everybody's everyday life and what you do, she said. "A lot of people write it off as taboo, as creepy, but it's really like food. It's a part of life. It's not that hard to talk about it if you're not uneasy about it, if you understand how natural it is and how necessary it is. It's not a big deal anymore."

CASUAL COLLABORATIONS

Gray put together a substantial guest list for "The Id." Erykah Badu, who spearheaded the R&B diva corps that Gray became part of, performs on the album's first single, "Sweet Baby." Two other members of that camp, Angie Stone and Sunshine Anderson (who Gray manages) also appear on the album.

Rapper Slick Rick turns out for Gray's stylized remake of his "Young World," and other notable visitors include hip-hopper Mos Def, Billy Preston, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson.

"I'm real big fans of their art, what all of them do as artists," said Gray, who was a guest herself on albums by dance artist Fatboy Slim and hip-hop acts Common and Black-Eyed Peas.

"It was real laid-back, like a hang-out thing more than it was business. Angie Stone was in L.A., and I just said, 'Why don't you come down,' and she came through. And I was talking to Ahmir and said, 'You gotta play drums,' and he did.

"And Mos Def came through at, like, 3:30 in the morning and was messing around on the piano, and I said, 'You gonna get on a track?' He said 'Cool.' It all happened real casual like that."

Gray has kept herself busy while preparing to launch a concert tour in February to promote "The Id." She took part in the recent all-star re-recording of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" for AIDS and disaster relief charities. And she shared the bill with Paul McCartney, the Who, John Mellencamp and others at the Concert For New York in October, performing a show-stopping rendition of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends."

Although her new album has yet to reach the lofty heights of her debut release -- Rolling Stone magazine identified "The Id" as one of this year's commercial disappointments -- Gray said she is happy with the quality of her work.

"This one is still me, but it's a completely different record. So I'm really proud of myself that I've been blessed to come up with new stuff."

(Gary Graff is a nationally syndicated journalist who covers the music scene from Detroit. He also is the supervising editor of the award-winning "MusicHound" album guide series.)

Reuters/Variety