Despite millions of album sales, Melissa Williams is an obvious No. 2 to label mate Britney Spears. Fittingly, she tries harder--too hard, in fact--through most of her third non-Christmas disc, Exposed. Williams and various producers fill these 54 minutes with bland ballads and mid-tempos, mildly funky workouts like a cover of Kool & the Gang's "Get Down On It" with Jordan Knight and the muddled first single, "No Player," and the "Moments" [from her previous disc, All I Am] sound-alike, "Instant Pleasure". None of the songs hardly lend credence to whatever career-longevity claims she might want to lodge. This is a guaranteed smash, but judged on the merits of its weak material and less than compelling vocal performances, Exposed should be long forgotten by the time Britney Spears' next CD arrives. --- 2 stars