jbrd's Full Review: The Redemption * by Brooke Hogan
Surprisingly, I'm out of the know in all the Hogan drama. I know about Brooke & Nick's parents(the famous wrestler Hulk Hogan & Linda Hogan) had gotten a divorce & I know about Nick being in prison for 8 months, but the recent drama between Brooke & her mom Linda takes the cake...that I don't know about! I will not get into the whole Hogan drama because the intro of Brooke's latest record, The Redemption, tells the whole story. All I want to say about that is the Hogans, mainly Brooke, have had a rough time lately & Brooke should be focusing more on her career since her Redemption is an amazing record.
The Redemption is filled with pop tracks that flirt with the R&B genre. Of course, her debut album, Undiscovered had that same flavor. However, this time, the script was flipped & the table was turned because Redemption is a WHOLE lot better. I think its becuse Brooke had different producers this time, the songs are written a little bit better & the vibe of this album is much more fun & less forced. The current singles, Falling & Hey Yo! aren't what I would have picked to try to sell this record because they aren't exactly what this record is about. Falling is the modern day love song that is stitched with R&B flavor & her boyfriend, Stack$ is featured on it. It's actually a really good song while Hey Yo! tries to be Lady Gaga's "Just Dace" at its light dance-floor vibe. Heck, even Colby O' Donis is featured! It's not one of my favorites though, but I will listen to it.
The songs that I would have chosen are songs that I like represent this album & gives a better picture on Redemption. Handcuffed is a pop frenzy that features an ecentric dance beat & pop-ish catchy vocals. This is one of the sexual songs, but this is less explicit(although Brooke never goes beyond to get the Parental Advisory sticker). It's fun, light & enjoyable. Ruff Me Up would alos make a great choice. A clone to Britney's "Womanizer", the vibe is so similar, it's scary! BUT, it's insanely catchy & fun. Plus, Flo-Rida is on it, come on! It's got to be a hit! It is one of my favorites. "Throw me up against the wall, roll around till we fall, boy I am about to shut you up, all I want you to do is ruff me up." Another choice would be One That Got Away. It is produced very well with it's R&B fused pop sound & the vocals are sung so well, I can picture it on the radio. This is also one of my many favorites on this record.
Another sexual song, Strip is one of my favorites & has been hailed as a Britney Spears track. Although, this "Britney" track will not be on the radio, it's a guilty pleasure. Brooke sings about having her man strip for her on a R&B frenzy that is mixed with lasers, bass and...sex on the brain! Brooke moans, gasps for air and "If you are feeling kinda kinky, I can turn you on...if you get freaky with me, there's nothing wrong with that." BeDDable is another steamy song that features a rapid bass line mixed with sexual feeling. It's another one of my favorites. "You're incredible, sexual, beddable...f**kable"
Okay! I'll get to the song that you are dying to know about. Brooke's song, dedicated to her mom, titled Dear Mom... is a very emotional, raw song. For some reason, the producers have this track ecentric with a powerful bassline & lasers instead of a piano. Well, it works & I really think that it makes the song even more powerful. You can tell by how Brooke sings on the chorus, Brooke is very hurt. "I didn't even do anything to hurt you, I gave you the best I can & thats true...it's better to live than love you." It is probably the stand-out track for Brooke. Not only the subject matter, but Brooke's singing ability really shows & I would like to think Brooke's vocals are untouched on this one.
The Redemption has its' share of pop/rock tracks that mix it well between all the sexual & dance tracks. All I Want You Is You & You'll Never Be Like Him are actually really good tracks that have Brooke at her innocent stage when she first came out with "Everything To Me". These two tracks would actually make good singles because they aren't heavy on sex & people can probably relate to them. Plus, Brooke sounds awesome on them & they say to me that Brooke can make a pop/rock album & if she did, it would be awesome!
The album's track, Redemption isn't exactly a song. It runs over 3 minutes with Brooke singing about she will prevail through all the negativity in her life, but the song's sound doesn't go anywhere to make it a song. Although, it is decent & it's nice to hear Brooke making the statement that is on it. The album's closer, Finish Line serves as a part II to Redemption. Although, it's a nice track, it is definitely not one of my favorites.
No doubt Brooke Hogan is the underdog in the pop genre, but she did a much better job on this record(she wrote 11 out of 14 songs off this album), much credit to her producers as well. They both have crafted a fun, enjoyable & entertaining second album. For those who didn't like her debut album(like me) will enjoy this one. If only people can give this album a chance, they could possibly come out satisfied.
Track Listing: 1. Intro 2. Strip 3. Hey Yo! feat/ Colby O'Donis 4. Trust Me feat/ Urban Mystic 5. Falling feat/ Stack$ 6. All I Want Is You 7. Dear Mom... 8. Handcuffed 9. Ruff Me Up feat/ Flo-Rida 10. BeDDable 11. You'll Never Be Like Him 12. One That Got Away feat/ Stack$ 13. Redemption 14. Finish Line
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