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Whitney’s Legacy Never Gives Up

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : November 12, 2012
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Category: Music Monday

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By now, you may have already heard the new Whitney Houston song, “Never Give Up”. The song will be featured on her new greatest hits project I Will Always Love You- The Best of Whitney Houston. Considering she released Whitney- The Greatest Hits, a double disc that also featured rare remixes, in 2000, it will be interesting to see if fans will really buy into it. The CD also features the previously unreleased R. Kelly duet version of her hit “I Look To You”. Usually in the case of a greatest hits featuring a couple of new tracks, the new songs have to come out the gate slamming. In the case of “Never Give Up”, I’m not convinced. The song was produced by Jermaine Dupri, which isn’t bad considering his track record of hits. The melody is nice but it sounds like a scrapped song from one of Mariah Carey’s “Mimi” studio sessions. It even has that quick stutter sing rapping (think “Shake It Off”). That works for Mariah, not Whitney. Coming from an artist who brought such fire on songs like “I Will Always Love You”, “I Believe In You And Me” and even “I’m Your Baby Tonight”, the song just doesn’t fit her catalog. True, many have said that her voice was not the same anymore as it was on her classic hits….but whose voice is after 20 plus years??? Does the quality of music have to suffer? I think not.

“Never Give Up” does have an inspirational message though, which specifically speaks to the single mother and the student by day, dancer by night. Nevertheless, I think people will like it just because it’s something new from Whitney Houston. I probably won’t be buying the new CD since I already have her first greatest hits. Plus, I think that this is just a quick cash scheme to get rich and gain profit from another great talent gone too soon. There’s nothing wrong with releasing new music (I think every deceased artist’s record company does it at some point), but there’s a limit to any madness. An upcoming The Bodyguard inspired musical, book and the new reality show are a bit much for me. I just can’t stand to see people using someone else’s misfortune for financial gain. But it’s all in loving memory right? Ok, I digress. ***stepping off soap box now***

But seriously, it’s still so hard to believe Whitney Houston left this earth almost exactly 9 months ago. But her legacy still lives on….and always will. There’s no doubt she had one of the best voices of any generation and there’s nothing wrong with honoring such a powerhouse singer. But what is the fine line between honor and personal gain? Will you be buying the CD when it hits shelves tomorrow? What’s your favorite Whitney Houston song/moment?

In case you haven’t heard it yet, here’s “Never Give Up”.

Are Brandy Fans Nodding Off?

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : October 15, 2012
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Category: Music Monday

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A lot has changed in the music industry since Brandy’s last CD, Human, was released over 4 years ago. Gone are the days where you can ride a successful CD for 2 years and have multiple hit singles (that is unless you’re Adele, Rihanna or Lady Gaga). But that’s exactly what Brandy was used to with her first 2 (and most successful to date) albums, Brandy and Never Say Never. After several album release date push backs and a delayed music video for the Chris Brown assisted “Put It Down”, Two-Eleven is just hours away and ready to take on the world…well, almost. The CD is already on its second single, “Wildest Dreams”, which usually means 1 of 2 things….a saturated market of hit songs (think Nicki Minaj) or fishing for a hit to hype the CD release up. In Brandy’s case, I believe it’s more of the latter. But, as we all know, sales numbers don’t always equal quality.

Brandy has ditched her nasal tone for a sexier, lower register in the latter half of her career. Ironically, I like this Brandy a lot better than the hit making machine behind “The Boy Is Mine” and “I Wanna Be Down”. She had great singles back then, but I think CD’s like Aphrodisiac and Full Moon are more cohesive and conceptually grounded. As she preps for the official release of Two Eleven tomorrow (already available on iTunes today), something tells me this may be some of her best work yet.

One thing Brandy seems to be using as her secret weapon this go round is her image. Her CD cover alone is one of the best I’ve seen lately and she looks better than….well, she ever has. No word yet on whether or not she’ll be unleashing her “Brand Nu” alter rap ego again (it was first introduced on Timbaland’s Shock Value II project), but it sounds like she’s finally found her niche between R & B, Pop and Hip Hop. With the help of Timbaland, Frank Ocean and longtime collaborator Rodney Jerkins, it will be interesting to see what sounds she comes with.

Several of the CD’s tracks have already leaked, which could prove to be either hurtful or helpful to sales . Producer Bangledesh offers an addictive track on ‘Let Me Go”. Brandy’s vocals and the music here are on point, but the lyrics are somewhat corny to me. Then there’s the Rico Love produced “No Such Thing As Too Late” and “Paint This House”. On “No Such Thing As Too Late” she tells her lover that he’ll wait before moving to the bedroom if he really cares about her (think new age “Let’s Wait Awhile”). This time the production lacks a little (but fits the song’s concept), although Brandy’s voice is flawless. But “Paint This House” is the real showstopper of Ricco Love’s 2 tracks. I’ll just say she’d be shooting herself in the foot to not make this a single. “Nodding Off”, 1 of 4 bonus tracks on the Two-Eleven deluxe version, actually leaked in 2008. But it’s just as good now as it was then (check out a snippet of it in the video above).

Will you be buying Two-Eleven when it hits the shelves tomorrow, or passing it up?

Brandy’s Dreams Delayed, Not Denied

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : August 27, 2012
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Category: Uncategorized

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A few weeks ago, you may remember that I reviewed Brandy’s single, “Put It Down” featuring Chris Brown. Although I did initially like the song, I wasn’t head over heels about it. However, after seeing the music video (one of Brandy’s best in years), the song is growing on me more. Seems like everything was in place for a successful release for her album Two-Eleven. The album title is derived from Brandy’s birthday and the date of her idol, Whitney Houston’s death (whose last words to her were “Nobody can be you. Just be you”). After several push backs (and numerous push backs of the release for the “Put It Down” music video), the new release date will be October 16, 2012. And considering the last week’s leak of her 2nd second single (which she leaked herself), “Wildest Dreams”, this may have been the best move her camp has made regarding Two-Eleven. The new song was inspired by her boyfriend, Ryan.

“Wildest Dreams” is a well produced R & B track that doesn’t reach any new songwriting heights (“Never thought someone would care about me”), but there’s something enjoyable about it. Maybe it’s the gritty, dark edge of the music and her vocals (which are crisp and well-arranged here). I’m not sure how this song will actually fare on the charts, but it’s definitely getting fans geared up about the release of her new CD. I thought Full Moon and Afrodisiac were some of her best CDs to date. Looks like Two-Eleven may be following in its footsteps.

What do you think about her new single? Will Two-Eleven be a hit, despite its many push backs?

Bump It or Dump It??? Vocal Wars Behind the Music

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : May 7, 2012
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Category: Uncategorized

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It’s Monday so you know what time it is….today I’m giving my reviews on new music from Rock to Gospel and Rap to R&B. But the question is, do these songs have repeated play potential or will they not even make it to the second verse before you hit the stop button? Check out my reviews and listen to see for yourself. Bump It or Dump It???

Brandy is making a return to music again this year.  However, with her recent Behind the Music special and reunion with Monica on the new song, “It All Belongs To Me”, many are calling this more of a comeback than a return.  So does she still have what it takes to deliver music with substance that rules the charts? Time will tell, but the first single from her upcoming Two Eleven CD, “Put It Down” featuring Chris Brown, just may give her the boost she needs. The song is produced by Bangledesh (“A Milli”, “Diva”) and has a catchy rhythm and even features Chris Brown and Brandy’s alter ego “Brand Nu” rapping.  Everything is promising here except for the main element that needs to be…the chorus…Instead of the edgy, grimy effect the song tries to go in, the chorus waters it down to bubblegum pop at some points. But hey, who really listens to words in popular music now anyway? Be on the lookout for Two Eleven to hit stores next month. I have a feeling this song will be growing on me…

Goodie Mob is most known for hits like “They Don’t Dance No Mo” and “Soul Food”.  It’s been 13 years since the release of a Goodie Mob album with all four original members (World Party).  Since then, the group’s resident eccentric soul singer/rapper, Cee-Lo has found success with the short-lived Gnarles Barkley and 3 solo albums. But apparently the group still had an itch to get back together. Perhaps their most crossover sounding song to date, it makes smart business sense that the group debuted the song on NBC’s “The Voice”, where Cee-Lo is one of the judges. But this song is crossover in a good way, without coming across contrived. The only weird part is the song features mostly Cee-Lo, with the other members merely chanting in the background. I think this will gain a lot of new fans for Goodie Mob and perhaps be the biggest song of their career. Hopefully the old fans will be open-minded enough to receive it as well. The song also has great lyrics that actually mean something…what a concept, lol. Look for the song to be featured on their new project, Age Against The Machine.

Maroon 5 has always pushed the envelope, but managed to sugar coat it to the point where it’s barely unrecognizable. From their upcoming album Overexposed, the group has teamed up with rapper Wiz Khalifa to give us the addictive “Payphone”. The song lyrics are a little explicit at some points. But so are some of the group’s other successful hits (“Wake Up Call” and “If I Never See Your Face Again”). The song talks about a fairy tale love story gone wrong and time too far spent.  Just the word payphone sounds like an obsolete word that has been buried to never be spoken again.  A few language beeps aside, Maroon 5 can more than likely count “Payphone” as another notch on their string of hits. Plus Wiz Khalifa will gain more crossover exposure, so it’s a win win situation.

Marvin Sapp seems to be following the old saying, “Strike while the iron is hot”. He’s been releasing CD’s back to back every year and a half for the past few years now (since “Never Would Have Made It). On his new CD, I Win, the opening track, “Teach My Hands To War” is a great song that’s sure to get you hyped up and ready to praise God.  The song is basically saying that you’re going to use your hands as weapons of praise against the enemy. Powerful message and the music is busy, but in a good way. Just be careful because you may forget you’re listening to a gospel song if you just listen to the music. The go go inspired tempo here has a bit of a throwback feel but is still current at the same time. I’m not sure if this song will be released as a single from I Win. But one thing’s for sure, it’s definitely the stand out up-tempo track on the CD.  I’m sure this would be a wonderful song to hear in concert.