Webster defines an “afrodisiac” (aphrodisiac) as something that arouses or increases sexual desire or potency. I’m not quite sure if Brandy’s new album does that but it’s definitely an enjoyable, or to a lesser extent, tolerable album. There’s some definite and notable changes about Brandy’s overall style with this record. She’s no longer the sweet yet sassy girl next door with braids who was fighting with some other chick over a boy and playing Moesha, the homegirl down the street. Brandy is now a 25-year old mother and ex-”wife”, (I won’t even travel down that road). On top of that, she’s severed ties with the man who basically made her who she is, Rodney Jerkins. You heard correctly, the man that made Never Say Never, one of the best R&B albums of the 90s, is not apart of this project in any shape or form. Instead, Brandy decided to let flavor of the year, Kanye West, and Aaliyah/Missy stalwart Timbaland helm the majority of the product. So since the recipe’s been slightly altered, does Brandy still have a winning formula? It’s a hung jury on that one. She finally does sound like a grown woman but there’s still a missing element and the spark can’t catch fire.
Breakdown:
Despite being 3 albums deep and having 11 years in the music biz, Brandy still doesn’t feel we know the real her and Who I Am is meant to set the record straight. Against Warryn Campbell’s thumping production, with nice use of live drums and keyboards with faint strings, Brandy decides to give us a summation of her “marriage“:
Always had the feeling that baby boy was cheating
I kept telling myself, “if you ain’t happy, Bran, just leave him”
I wasn’t raised to quit cause quitters never win
But what do you gain if you feel incomplete within
Sick of all the questions, all the what’s and why’s
“What happened? Why’d y’all break up? Why’d we never see you cry?”
But do you know how it feels to hurt behind closed doors
When you go outside, you wondering what you smiling for
The stark and personal lyrics are a nice departure from Brandy’s normal material but it’s somewhat of a shocker to hear what seems to be a deep, personal song and read that Brandy didn’t even write it. Regardless, this was a nice look into the world of Brandy and a nice opener as it shows that this is a different Brandy singing this time around. $3.50.
Since the lead single flopped, I guess Brandy is desperate for a hit so she’s decided to release the obvious choice for a 2nd single, the prerequisite album club song and title track, Afrodisiac. The song itself isn’t that bad but it’s another case of liking it a lot in the beginning and then liking it less and less with each successive listen. The production is thumping and catchy but it’s definitely not Timbo’s best and does sound like normal club triteness. And the lyrics are also somewhat catchy and somewhat trite although Brandy does take strides to assert her womanhood with lines like “I admit I’m a prisoner of your sex appeal.” Overall, this song will probably get moderate airplay but it doesn’t pack a big enough punch for it to be a hit. $1.99.
Now if it’s a hit Brandy’s looking for, then she need look no further than the song she’s servicing to radio, Who Is She 2 U. Everything about this song works together perfectly and the song manages to bore a hole into your psyche and latch on for days at a time. Tim stepped up his production ante and gave the song a more soulful, kinda 70s vibe with the bumping muted bass, matching keyboards, nice percussion and subtle woodwinds. And Brandy’s vocals, which are the strongest they’ve been, shade the song with the right amount of pain and anger as she busts her man when they bump into his girl on the side. This song is just aching to be a hit and couple that with a remix featuring Usher lurking around out and you’ll find Brandy being the biggest fool if she doesn’t push this song. $3.50.
The lead single, Talk About Our Love, was a song that I instantly liked but never grew to love. I’m a fan of Kanye West, although I think he’s intentionally overexposing himself, and I liked how he managed to infuse the song with a nice soulful, 80s feel without obviously interjecting another soul sample (but it‘s still there). Just some simple strings, percussion and muted bass line. And although I think his rap was unnecessary, it’s still a nice touch. But there’s nothing about the song that jumps out at you and sometimes, it comes a little too close to sleep-inducing. Good song but Brandy’s capable of much better. $2.75.
Brandy decides to release her deeper, darker and more mysterious side with I Tried. The scariest thing about the song is that it sounds eerily similar to Cry Me A River and secretly makes me wonder if Tim is running low on originality. But Tim does infuse a more bluesy bass line to the track that does set it apart from JT’s record. Aside from that, everything else about the song yet again works ingeniously well. Brandy’s raspy vocals fit well with the dark production and yet again, she uses the right amount of pain and anger. The lyrics aren’t the strongest but the Coldplay shout-out and lyric sample are a nice touch and they get the point across as Brandy sings about trying to ignore her man’s infidelity. Yet another masterpiece and another track that almost recaptures the chemistry. $3.50.
Kanye drops in one more time and laces Brandy with the soulful and lovely Where You Wanna Be. Another case of a song I know I shouldn’t like but one that I can’t help but…put up with. Kanye does something with those strings and that piano that almost makes me forget about the lack of substantial lyrics and Brandy’s lackluster vocal performance. And I think I‘m the only one that actually enjoys T.I.’s appearance. So kudos to Kanye for putting forth a valiant effort to make the song work but it falls a little short. $1.40.
Timbaland’s unmistakable buzzing synths and thumping drumpads signal another mysterious ride with Focus. Once again, Brandy rides the otherworldly and mystifying production well with her somewhat breathy vocals that show off her dexterity and takes the lacking lyrical content and works with it. This time, she’s forcing herself to stay focused because she knows what will happen if she lets her cheating man back in. But even though Brandy works well with it, the track just seems to plod and never take off and we’re left with another yawn-inducing record. $1.70.
Finally, Brandy rises out of her slumber and gets some attitude with Sadiddy. For those scratching their heads, just replace “sadiddy” with “uppity” or “snobbish” and you’re good to go. Timbaland’s staccato production is increased somewhat with a hyper claptrack, thumping muted percussion and subtle buzzing guitar riff. Brandy’s p!ssed off that people are claiming she’s sadiddy and she’s making it crystal clear that she’s just the opposite (although she ain’t afraid to put you in check). Brandy’s raspy vocals are a nice compliment to the track as she manages to put a little more “oomph” in the track and manages to make the song come off as anything but corny and ghetto (as was expected). But make sure catchy is at the top of the list. $3.00.
Turn It Up is the first instance where Brandy acknowledges Aaliyah and one of the stronger Aaliyah-tinged songs of the record. Timbaland’s hyper production is excellent with excellent use of live drumming. Originally released as a buzz single, this throwback to the 80s is meant to enhance an underground mixtape feel but it still keeps its head above water with substantial lyrics, Brandy’s great vocals and insane production. This is a song where you want to follow Brandy’s instructions and turn the record up and zone out while dancing like there’s no tomorrow. It shouldn’t work as well as it does but it does and would‘ve been a better suited club-banger. $3.50.
Although Rodney’s presence is missed, there are some songs that he just would’ve never been able to construct for Brandy and Necessary. This time, Organized Noize (with a lil help from Cee-Lo) man the boards and give Brandy one southern fried funky love song that is so offbeat and yet lovely that it makes you swoon and groove at the same time while giving off Prince vibes. I love the excellent wah-wah guitar and funky bass line along with the staggering percussion. The lyrics aren’t much but they’re heartfelt and Brandy sounds so honest when she sings lines like:
When I sing, you know what I do?
I close my eyes and I think of you
When I wake up, I’d like to see how much more you’ve become proud of me
I get excited, my eyes tear
It gives me purpose for being here
I’d walk the desert and I’d swim the seas
As long as when I get there, you’re in love with me
It's all because I love ya, I do
I got to be necessary to you
Hope your eyes are wide open
You'll see that your love is necessary to me
This song is like a big ball of sunshine that just puts you in a good mood when you hear it and gets my vote for one of Brandy’s best recordings ever. If I ever get married, I’ll be damned if this is not my wedding song! $3.50.
Brandy decides to slow things down just a bit and get a little more intimate-sounding with the smooth Say You Will. Neff-U’s production is smooth and calming with the timed drum kicks and light bass line that mingles with the keyboards on the hook. Brandy’s vocals seem to have a more vulnerable and honest approach on the record as she asks her to man to do all the things he said he would. Brandy flexes her vocals a bit more on this track and every lyric sounds honest, even the laugh-out-loud ones like, “have three, four kids by you/and have some more if you want me to.” Another song that would’ve been nothing for someone else but that Brandy makes work for her. $2.80.
To me, the one song that I feel was an Aaliyah reject is the dark, Middle-Eastern tinged Come As You Are. The production is signature Aaliyah from the staccato percussion to the muted M.E. woodwinds and ominous strings and would’ve fit right at home on Aaliyah’s final record. That’s not to say this is a good Aaliyah reject. It’s obvious why it was; the production is catchy but not enough, the lyrical scheme is redundant and there’s not a lot of room for vocal runs unless you want over singing. Example of filler being tacked on to stretch out the album length. $.99.
The one song Brandy did write is the anthemic Finally. Complete with haunting, crossing the finish line strings and heavy, skittering drumbeats, Brandy releases her feelings onto paper about how she felt walking away from her “marriage.” And hearing the lyrics made me realize why Brandy decided not to write much on the record; what she does contribute isn’t anything special at all which is disappointing since her writing in the past was pretty good. Yet again, another plodding song that you can’t wait to end. $1.40.
How I Feel is one of those songs that I do like and don’t like. Walter Milsap’s production is reminiscent of some of Brandy’s older material with the heavy drums, dreamy strings and light bass and the lyrics would fit right at home on any Brandy LP. Finally, the lyrical scheme picks back up and has some substance as Brandy, with her wonderfully deft and sensual vocals, tells her man that she’s letting him go because if he doesn’t know how she feels now, he never will. I like those aspects of the song and the verses flow well but when the hook comes in, the song seems to drop down a couple notches into mediocrity before soaring again. It works really well but not as well as it could have. Still a great record though. $2.50.
The record comes to a dramatic and beautiful photo finish with the gorgeous Should I Go. Using an ingenious sample of Coldplay’s “Clocks“, Tim blends it with his thumping staccato production and Brandy uses her airy, almost falsetto vocals to help her contemplate her place in the music industry and whether she should stick around:
Used to be a few artists at a time
And now even the veterans waiting in line
Premature release of this album of mine
Making it hard for real imitators to shine
If you manage to defeat these odds against you
Keep doing your thing, I ain’t mad at you
Just trying to figure out where I fit into all of this now or if I do
Should I go, should I stay, I’m in control either way
A fitting finish to the album as Brandy goes out like a soldier and proves that she could rely on sheer talent if need be. $3.50.
FT:
Although this is a really good record and one of Brandy’s most solid, it just never seems to fully click. Saddest thing about the whole thing is that she really needs Rodney for her albums to gel and she doesn’t even realize it. Brandy & Rodney had chemistry. Aaliyah & Tim had chemistry. Brandy & Tim try to force chemistry and more often than not, Brandy sounds like a girl singing over a beat. Not to say that Tim’s productions aren’t good because the man is a genius but their two styles don’t seem to be fully compatible. But Brandy did impress. Her vocals are stronger, her lyrics and material (most of the time) is more mature and she definitely has learned how to handle and control a song. She has no reason to be scared because she has just as much talent as her competitors. But this album sounds more like a work in progress than a complete thought. She almost became one with the music. Her & Tim almost had chemistry. Sparks almost flew. But Brandy said it herself; almost doesn’t count.
Great Music to Play While: trying to patch things up between Rodney & Brandy.
Will Turn You Up:“Who I Am:: “Who Is She 2 U?”:: “I Tried”:: “Turn It Up”:: “Necessary”:: “Should I Go” Will Put U 2 Sleep:“Where You Wanna Be”:: “Focus”:: “Come As You Are”:: “Finally” Album Worth: $39.13 - Solid R&B album that you will enjoy but don’t expect sparks to fly.
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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