Brandy Norwood has grown up in front of America. From the cute and bubbly R&B singer to the growing teen on television, to a grown woman starting a family and trying to evolve her career into a more mature area. And on this her fourth album, titled Afrodisiac, Brandy sheds any trace of young behind. This is the new and improved Brandy and only for the grown and sexy.
”Talk About Love”, which features producer-du-jour Kanye West (Jay-Z, Janet Jackson) is representative of the rest of “Afrodisiac”, a slick blending of Hip-Hop and R&B that is guaranteed to make you bob your head, but features a strong vocal showing by Brandy. ”Who I Am” finds Brandy addressing her now ex-husband and the dissolution of their relationship: ”Just for the sake of my daughter/I tried to stick to the plan/But I had to get rid of the ring/On my fourth finger, left hand”, well alrighty then.
Well “Afrodisiac” doesn’t rely as heavy as past Brandy albums on one producer – there is a great deal of Timbaland and his work spread around the album. And one of the faults in having a producer like Timbaland is that, quite simply – all his beats have the same underlying feel to them. So on one hand, they give the album a bit of cohesion and on the flipside – there’s an element of monotony, the – didn’t I just hear that factor. What Timbaland does (mostly) do for Brandy – is bring back that voice, and it’s sweet, strong and perfect. ”Who Is She 2 You” (Timbaland), is fundamentally a dance track but it’s thumping bassline gives way to an almost gritty style of vocals that lends a certain cadence to the track.
”Where You Wanna Be” features rapper T.I. (Rubber Band Man & 24’s) and is a sexy mid-tempo offering which is ruined by the unnecessary contribution of a guest rapper. ”Focus” for all it’s electronic undercurrents, shows some of the depth in Brandy’s vocals. Her voice flips from high and sugary to low and husky in the blink of an eye and there isn’t really anyone with a voice as unique as Brandy’s.
”Sadiddy”, is where the Timbaland formula is eerily reminiscent of the business of the Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins days. Too much of everything and it ruins the whole affair. DJ Clue shows up to ruin ”Turn It Up”, which is supposed to be a reminisce of the 90’s and sounds like a bunch of hot buttered garbage.
”Necessary” is a little bit Prince and a whole lot good. From the staggered beat, to the guitars – the track comes together seamlessly. And with all of the Prince influence going around, this is the kind of forward thinking, out of the box, unconventional music that you want to hear from Brandy. ”Say You Will” is 70’s soul meets contemporary R&B in a very special way. While the production is subtle, the vocals are on par with the smoothness of the song and it winds up being one of “Afrodisiac’s” strongest offerings.
“Afrodisiac” ends on a high note with ”Should I Go”, which leans heavily on Coldplay’s mega hit “Clocks”. The track finds Brandy reminiscing on whether or not the music industry is something that she wants to continue plugging away at or not. It listens like a journal entry and even though “Afrodisiac” is overall a pretty personal look at Brandy the woman, “Should I Go” has the most raw feeling of all of the album’s 15 tracks.
- Final Thoughts -
One thing people can’t argue is whether or not Brandy is a capable singer. There are however, a few things that are questionable. There still hasn’t been a producer who has been able to really and truly harness Brandy’s vocals into a sound that is uniquely her own. Her voice is distinct enough to make up for that in most areas, but it would still be nice to find the one person who makes a Brandy song spring to life every time.
I suggest that for her next album Brandy do two things. Back 20 of her favorite songs, and cut that number by half. “Afrodisiac” at 15 tracks, is still too long to keep me interested musically in everything Brandy is singing about. More importantly, every producer working with Brandy should follow the formula X = number of effects. Y = 1. X – Y = one less effect per song as some of the tracks simply get bogged down and overshadow the vocals which is very much a shame.
Afrodisiac is sensuous, soulful, even a little gritty, an album that showcases Brandy s passionate voice and announces in no uncertain terms that she ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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