"I still have so much more to do, so many other things to try. I have a lot of blessings, a lot to be thankful for.but I'm always excited about what else there is for me to do."

It's hard to believe that such words could fall from the lips of one of contemporary music's living legend. But Patti LaBelle , soulful diva extraordinaire isn't playing when she says that. Even with all of her many accolades, awards and accomplishments, Patti LaBelle is constantly challenging herself creatively and artistically. Such is proven on LaBelle's first release of the 21st century, When A Woman Loves. Unlike the nearly 30 albums she's recorded in various incarnations (in the '60s as leader of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles ; in the '70s with Labelle and since 1977, as a soloist), her ninth album for MCA Records is composed of tunes almost entirely penned by one songwriter - Diane Warren.

Patti LaBelle's powerhouse vocal delivery and Warren's lyric honesty are in full effect throughout When A Woman Loves. The title cut is an instantly memorable ballad that provides the emotional glue for the entire album; while "Make Tonight Beautiful" is a sensual slow jam that Patti describes playfully as " kinda sexy." Packed with Patti's soaring vocals,

What adoring fans, Patti LaBelle peers and the worldwide media do know is that LaBelle has been giving her all through her recordings and onstage performances since 1961 when she led The Bluebelles to a million-selling hit with "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman." Since then, the Philadelphia native has been a chart staple through a half-a-dozen hits with the futuristic trio Labelle and later a stunning solo artist with over thirty charted singles including 1983's chart topper "If Only You Knew," the 1985 smash "New Attitude," a pop and R&B number one single "On My Own," which was a 1986 duet with Michael McDonald, and more recent hits like "Somebody Loves You Baby," "When You've Been Blessed," "The Right Kind Of Lover" and "When You Talk About Love."

Patti LaBelle nine albums for MCA have included 1986 platinum-selling Winner In You and three gold albums Burnin ', Gems and Flame. Other notables are the best-selling Live! set (CD and home video) and another set, Live! One Night Only, recorded in 1998 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on the heels of a record-breaking two-week concert run on Broadway.

Patti LaBelle is the author of two best-selling books - autobiography Don't Block The Blessings and the 1999 cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About and starred in her own prime-time television specials and weekly television series, "Out All Night."

Patti LaBelle's high-octane concerts draw constant standing-room-only crowds even, she notes, "when I don't have a record on the charts! I guess when people come to see me they know they're going to get 150%. It's been that way ever since I stepped out onstage for the first time."

In addition to her amazing career, Patti LaBelle's work as a humanitarian is legendary. A diabetic herself, Patti has served as a spokesperson for the American Diabetic Association. She has a foundation called The Patti LaBelle Medical Education Scholarship Fund that is administered through the National Medical Association.

Patti LaBelle also served as the spokesperson for the National Minority AIDS Council's "Live Long Sugar" campaign; and the National Cancer Institute. Having lost several members of her family to cancer, Patti's tireless efforts resulted in the dedication of a special research laboratory in her honor at the Sylvestri Comprehensive Care Center at the University of Miami.

A mother of three sons, and with two children of her late sister Jackie, Patti LaBelle's life has been filled with triumph and challenges, both personal and professional. And through it all, she has emerged as a household name whose realness has ensured her a place in the hearts of music lovers year in and year out. "I feel very proud," she says of her status as one of the world's most beloved musical divas.

That pride is never more evident than when Patti LaBelle speaks of When A Woman Loves, of which she laughs, "just could be the monster album I've been waiting for!" Whether she's singing full out on the 'soft love' ballad "If I Was A River" or telling it like it is on the soaring "I'll Still Love You More," Patti LaBelle delivers as only she can - pure heart and soul.

Honors have included:

Two Grammy Awards: 1998 - Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for Live! One Night Only and Best R&B Vocal Performance for Burnin '

Essence Triumphant Spirit Award

Seven NAACP Image Awards (including the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award - 1996)

Three Emmy nominations - including one for Sisters In The Name Of Love with Dionne Warwick and labelmate Gladys Knight

Two American Music Awards

A Cable Ace Award for Sisters In The Name of Love

An honorary doctorate degree from Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music

A star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame - still the only one paid entirely by fans

A Soul Train - Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997