Idol Thoughts II: 'Tasia & Her "Baby Makin' Hips" Put It Down On Album #2
Written: Dec 17 '06
Product Rating:
Pros: Not too many better young singers in contemporary R&B. Missy Elliott on her "A" game.
Cons: A couple of mediocre tracks and one awful Diane Warren ballad.
The Bottom Line: Fantasia's second album is a slight upgrade on the sound that made her first album solid. Definitely one of 2006's better contemporary R&B albums.
speeddemon531's Full Review: Fantasia * by Fantasia
Fantasia Barrino has a voice that can move boulders. The third season winner of "American Idol", Barrino's raspy wail (which you might consider the female equivalent of her cousin, K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci) is a throwback to soul shouters like Aretha-and a bit of an acquired taste. Her debut, "Free Yourself" was well-received and turned out to be a surprisingly solid album, especially when Fantasia backed off of the contemporary hip-hop influenced stuff and just sang her tail off. An almost double-platinum album, a Lifetime movie and a book later, she's back with her self-titled sophomore release, which is among the better contemporary R&B albums released recently.
Vocally, there's no disputing Fantasia's power. She's a fantastic melodic singer, and the semi-annoying, froggy, Macy Gray-type vocal tic seems to have taken a vacation. When she sets her voice on "stun", though, it's easy to see that Fantasia is one of the best female singers of her generation. And unlike many of our vocally gifted young females (hello, Beyonce and Christina), her vocal modulations seem based in actual soulfulness as opposed to just showing off.
Stylistically, this album turns out to be a baby step better than it's predecessor. Of course, with a hit album under her belt, Fantasia got her label to loosen the purse strings and hire a who's who of R&B and hip-hop producers. Of course, when that is the case, the material rises and falls based on the talent of the producer as much as the talent of the singer. While this album certainly has a bunch of good songs, even the average songs are saved by Fantasia's soaring vocals.
"Two Weeks Notice" and "Bump What Your Friends Say" are two ballads with a bit of an Eighties flair (including live instrumentation!). "Two Weeks Notice", in particular, has a winning and witty lyric where a fed-up Fantasia finally decides to leave her man. Missy Elliott, who produced both these songs, obviously has some kind of simpatico with Fantasia. The two should definitely continue their professional relationship.
Lead single "Hood Boy" falls into lyrical territory that I would normally roll my eyes at (consider this the R&B version of MC Lyte's "Ruffneck" from back in the day), but the song is actually pretty good. Credit that to Fantasia's sassy vocal, the song's Motown swagger (complete with a Supremes sample) and a tongue-twisting rap by OutKast's Big Boi. In a highly unusual instance for a recent R&B record, Big Boi is the album's only featured guest.
'Tasia can definitely rock an uptempo jam. "Baby Makin' Hips" is a joyous cacophony of rattles, drums and bass reminiscent of some of Beyonce's biggest hits. Fantasia's voice rides on top of the groove like a cowboy riding a steer. "Uneligible" and "Bore Me (Yawn)" are not club tracks per se. They have an old-school sassy sound, complete with bluesy guitar licks and horn blasts. On both tracks, Fantasia rocks an innovative speed-singing style, like an R&B diva version of the rapper Twista. Both of these songs (which are the album's most avant-garde) were helmed by Nate "Danja" Hills, who's been the co-writer and co-producer behind the 2006 resurgence of Timbaland. Songs like this prove that Timbo might need him a lot more than he needs Timbo.
On the seduction tip, this album's highlight is "I Nominate U", a smoldering slow jam designed for optimal play during those late-night marathon sex sessions. The song was reportedly inspired by Jamie Foxx, who Fantasia shared a passionate on-screen kiss with on this year's BET Awards. On the other side of the slow jam spectrum, you have "I Feel Beautiful", easily the album's worst track. There's nothing wrong with Fantasia's singing, but the song is obviously meant to be this album's big, Celine Dion-esque ballad, and it doesn't fit in much with the rest of the album. This song sounds exactly like what a Diane Warren/Babyface (writer and producer, respectively) Lite-FM ballad would sound like, and placing it dead center on the album is a total buzzkill.
Overall, though, 'Tasia impresses with her second album. Most multi-producer pop & R&B albums tend to be messy and unfocused, but Fantasia (much like Mary J. Blige) has the voice and the attitude to give the album a cohesive sound. While the album's middle sags in comparison to it's beginning and end, Fantasia's sophomore effort is one of the more solid efforts in this year's relatively weak R&B field.
"Fantasia"
Released 2006 on J Records
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars (rounded up)
American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino mixed hip-hop with classic soul on her 2004 debut, Free Yourself. Yet the slick, urban contemporary sound of the...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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