cletta1201's Full Review: Southern Hummingbird by Tweet
Tweet is the newest artist coming from the Missy Elliot & Timbaland camp, supposedly an heir to the Aaliyah throne, there are obvious elements of Aaliyah’s “sound” and “style” within this album. However, if you were hoping for a replacement she’s not it. Definitely more adult and possessing her fair share of talent – Tweet’s debut album Southern Hummingbird could have and should have been so much more. As luck would have it, the best things on the Tweet album don’t even belong to her. On a debut album, it must suck to get showed up by guest artists and producers, but that’s what happens here.
Track Listing
1. So Much To Say (intro)
2. My Place
3. Smoking Cigarettes
4. Best Friend (featuring Bilal)
5. Always Will
6. Boogie 2nite
7. Oops Oh My (featuring Missy Elliot)
8. Make Ur Move
9. Motel
10. Beautiful
11. Complain
12. Heaven
13. Call Me
14. Drunk
15. Southern Hummingbird (outro)
16. Sexual Healing (Oops Pt 2 featuring Ms. Jade)*
17. Big Spender (Missy Elliot)*
*bonus tracks
”Oops Oh My” is the infectious first single about self-love. This one is going down in my book as the best song about masturbation since the Divinyls ode called I Touch Myself. Packaged in a club friendly beat, you have to listen to get the message, but once you do – it makes it all the better.
”Smoking Cigarettes” is almost excellent but just ends up being kind of good. The best part of the song is the chorus and the cigarette name-dropping. Then when you really listen to it you realize you’re listening to a cornball song about cancer. Nothing cool about that.
Just when you think you want to skip to the next song while listening to ”Best Friend”, supasoulsinger (yeah, like supasoulsista) Bilal comes in to save the day. If you’re into labels (and aren’t we all) I wouldn’t classify Tweet as a “neo-soul” singer but Bilal is and so their styles are not really all that complimentary. Where Bilal soars, Tweet perches on a branch.
The most God-awful thing I’ve heard since the Neptune’s is ”Boogie 2nite”. I’ll skip right over the kindergarten spelling because the song is begging me to smack it down. I’ll say one thing about Tweet – she’s got lots of soul, so when she tries to make an up tempo song, it tanks, REAL BAD. Right down to the computer generated ”move your hips side to side” and the worst part of it all is that they’ll probably make this a single to show how versatile she is.
”Motel” has it’s best moments before the vocals come in. Where you’re appreciating the guitar and then Tweet starts singing and messes up the whole vibe. Her voice isn’t terrible, don’t get me wrong – but I was really digging the guitar. About catching your lover going into a motel (duh), there are elements of this song (besides the guitar) to be liked – but they are too far and in between. Also take a look at the track listing and see that almost all of the songs on the 2nd half of the album have one-word titles, I just felt the need to point that out.
Although I can’t quite put my finger on it ”Drunk” appears to me to be robbed from Prince. This song more than all of the others evokes that sweet, breathy thing that Aaliyah made so famous. Next to “Oops Oh My” this is the best that this album has to offer. The guitar is apparently the new trendy instrument, because everyone wants to be Jimi Hendrix. Tweet does have talent though and on ”Complain” she gives me the India.Arie vibe and stops trying so hard that I actually get to enjoy the moment.
I swear ”My Place” sampled “Moments Of Love by Art Of Noise but since there are no samples or interpolations listed, I’m just going on my aural hunches. Sad as it is, the might be sample is the best thing going. Complete with fake heartbeat sample in the beginning – what can I say is good about this? Nothing – so I won’t.
”Call Me” is excellent. Timbaland must have just come back from India because it’s been influencing his work for a minute (Jay-Z’s Big Pimpin’ , We Need A Resolution by Aaliyah). “Call Me” has Tweet showing you she’s no little girl. ”Baby take my hand/ When you’re feeling lonely/ It don’t matter where we’re at/ Let me put it on ya/ I got another man/ But he ain’t like you/ And I can’t be your live in love/ Though I’d like to/ Call me/ at the break of dawn/ I’ll be sure to meet you/ With no panties on”. If that isn’t a booty call, I’m not real sure what is.
I’m sad that the 2 bonus tracks are better than most of the material on the album. ”Sexual Healing (Oops Pt. 2)" which features a new femcee from the Timbaland and Missy camp by the name of Ms. Jade and she completely shows up Tweet. Hopefully when her album drops, it will be better than this one. I don’t care what anyone says about Missy Elliot the woman is talented and her “bonus” on this album is better than any song on the Tweet album. Containing an interpolation of the song “Big Spender”, Missy does the sample justice.
An album of vices – masturbating, smoking and drinking, I’m disappointed by this one. I know that Missy is talented as well as Timbaland and I know that Tweet has a nice voice, so I’m not real sure where everything went wrong. There are glimmers of hope but the problem is that they’re too far and in between.
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