Sunday, 22 December 2013

Brandy- Two Eleven Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Album- Two Eleven
Artist- Brandy

Back in the 1990’s Brandy was an RnB force to be reckoned with, producing such hits as Baby and Monica duet The Boy Is Mine. Yet her career took a dip within the 2000’s era, and since then the singer has delved into other entertainment avenues and hasn’t quite had her former musical status. But with the success of her Chris Brown collaboration Put It Down, it seems that Brandy could be an artist who re-emerges into the music scene and becomes world widely successful again, or at the very least a dominant force in the US market. Two Eleven features the singer diversifying the number of collaborators on the entire record and working with new people, and bringing with this change a fresh sensibility to the record. Is this a great thing for Brandy, or is this still rather more of a so so record.

Track 1- Intro

Short track Intro acts as a forceful, hip hop and RnB orientated opening to the record, being a largely instrumental number built upon the use of a scattered drum beat, stirring strings and an ominous male vocal to highlight the intensity of this record and making the record begin in an almost cinematic way.

3.5/5

Track 2- Wildest Dreams

The first proper track, Wildest Dreams is a mid tempo RnB jam that has strong themes about love, as we find Brandy singing about how she never imagined that someone could love her and treat her this way. The song is backed by a heavy sound that features a stomping, percussion led rhythm that is strong and a little classic RnB sound, showing why the singer is one of the queens of the RnB scene. The vocals are slickly produced in terms of the layering of the singer’s voice, which nicely brings out the sweetness of the track and brings us a slick song that starts the record off at a nice pace.

3.5/5

Track- So Sick

Sticking with the classic RnB energy of the previous track, So Sick finds Brandy comfortably fitting into her usual RnB mode and bringing us a track that feels effortless and just pleasurable to listen to. The vocal layering of her voice once again brings a smooth texture that makes the track fun to listen to, and creating a vocal that will sound great on radio. The vocals are also still strong enough to show how the singer is an accomplished vocalist rather than someone trying to hide vocal weakness, with the singer giving us some great ad libs that act as a cementing of the fact that too many she is an RnB diva. However, this song is markedly different in subject matter, as here we find Brandy telling her beau that she has had enough of his ways and the way that he violates her trust. The message is strong if a little bit repetitive in terms of the ‘so sick’ hook of the chorus, but Brandy works well in bringing out the emotion of the song, and with the twinkling melodies and forceful bass of the production with the little guitar outro, the track has a forceful but calm sound that emphasises the idea of Brandy being angered at her lover but calm and collected in how she will deal with him.

3.5/5

Track 4- Slower

Things take a bit of a funkier turn with the sound of this track, and as well as upping the tempo a little, Brandy also changes again in personality. Whereas So Sick found her being a girl sick of her man, here she is a sultry woman who asks her man to just take things slower because that will be best for both of them. The lyrics are tightly structured, and although a bit stereotypical, the lyrics are powerfully backed up by the tone of Brandy’s voice, as the smooth quality of her voice makes her words believable and sensual. The songs production features a heavy bass and warped beats that gives a rolling, sway your hips rhythm to the track, perfectly capturing the songs message and making the song a welcome addition to the record, as it is as tightly focused as the former tracks.

3.5/5

Track 5- No Such Thing as Too Late

Taking her music to a softer state, No Such Thing as Too Late finds Brandy quite delicate in her vocal tone and bringing us a depth of emotion that hasn’t come into the play on the record up until this point. The song focuses on the idea that love doesn’t have a time period and that Brandy will be here waiting for this boy who she thinks she will be great with. The message is sweet and potent and is nicely brought out by the power of the singer’s vocals, with the vocal performance here dipping between vocal layering that gives a euphoric edge to the track, and more stripped back moments that highlights the delicacy of the emotion that the singer is conveying. The heavy percussion gives a strong RnB groove to the track, whilst the flourishes of synth give a slight 1980’s feel to the track that is soft and lush to listen to, and which highlights in a way how Brandy has matured, but has also been in the game for a long time and is still influenced by music of the past.

3.5/5

Track 6- Let Me Go

Let Me Go grabs your attention from the beginning through the way that we hear Brandy singing as if she is putting the vocal down in the studio just at the point of us listening, making this seem more like a demo track. But then the beats of Let Me Go kick in, and we are treated to more of an upbeat offering that pairs her typical RnB sound with a slight club and dance feel. Brandy turns back to a girl in the throes of love, as the song lyrically focuses on Brandy telling this boy that he makes her feel so good, and so he cannot let her go. The message is strong and features some slick vocals from Brandy, with the vocal layering giving the song this smooth tone that emphasises the emotive qualities of the track. However the distorted let me go hook is just a bit annoying, and it feels unnecessarily produced. The beats of the track are vibrant, with great use of piano and percussion, but at times the sound feels a bit all over the place, and so this would have been a better tune if it didn’t feel so excessive.

3/5

Track 7- Without You

A ballad that was originally crafted for singer Alicia Keys, Without You is another emotive number from the singer that features a dramatic sound and a chance for Brandy to really show of her vocal ability. The message of the track lyrically is very simple, as we find Brandy telling her man that she wouldn’t be anything without him, and therefore she cannot lose him. The purity of the message is powerful and makes the song simply catchy, with Brandy giving us a vocal performance that lilts and flows in a way that makes every word feel like she really believes what she is saying. The tone of the whole track also allows for the singers voice to rise and fall in a powerful way that is great to listen to. The percussion of the production is perhaps a little heavy, but the sound adds some drama to the track, whilst the use of the piano brings heartfelt sincerity to the song, and so this is an accomplished ballad.

3.5/5

Track 8- Put It Down (featuring Chris Brown)

Put It down is the records lead single that saw Brandy finding some renewed musical success, particularly in terms of her charting in the top ten of the Billboard Hot RnB/Hip Hop songs for the first time in ten years. The song is a fun, up tempo RnB track with a sound that is led by heavy bass. The track finds Brandy complimenting a potential lover on the way that he conveys himself, and stating that if he keeps this up then maybe they might fall in love. The song is backed by a slightly repetitive but catchy chorus, and the track is really catchy in the way that we are shown different levels of Brandy’s vocals, with the verses being a bit more forceful and the chorus being slightly ethereal and airy in tone. Chris Brown brings us a cheeky and fun rap section that compliments the airiness of Brandy’s vocals, and with the snappy production and addictive beats, it is easy to see why this track was chosen as the lead single and why people liked it so much.

3.5/5

Track 9- Hardly Breathing

With a swirling electro intro that feels slick and futuristic, Hardly Breathing quickly develops into a sensual RnB affair with a slight electro pop feel. The song finds Brandy telling the listener and this guy of how she is hardly breathing because this relationship isn’t working, but that does not mean that she will end up being heartbroken. The message has this nice two fold quality of being strong in resolution but vulnerable during the experience, with Brandy’s vocals nicely bordering the line of fragile and confident, with the multi layered style of the vocal elevating the lyrical message a little bit more. The snappy guitar rhythms infused with some quirky electronic production gives the song a forceful but also euphoric feeling sound that compliments the vocals and message nicely.

3.5/5

Track 10- Do You Know What You Have?

Featuring production from current hit making producer Mike Will Made It, Do You Know What You Have? is a smouldering RnB pop number where the singer calls out her man for not being how he should be and not really returning her affections. The message is potent and strong in terms of the stop and start, snappy rhythm of the lyrics combined with the light, smooth vocal performance that exudes confidence, allowing Brandy to convey this sense of this guy not really seeing her brilliance. Mike Will Made It does a great job with the snappy but sultry feel of the production with the almost ambient synth notes and the lovely guitar based beginning and end.

3.5/5

Track 11- Scared of Beautiful

Ballad Scared of Beautiful is this intense affair that was co-written by Frank Ocean and finds the singer singing about herself and the growth that she has experienced, with an element of trying to be fearless being present. Although some of the lyrics are clichéd Brandy brings a gravity to the record that is powerful, and the vocals are nice in the way that in places they are quite understated, whilst in other places Brandy really shines vocally and brings more weight to the message, highlighting the singers ability to really bring out her personal pain within her music. The minimalist production with the simple, rumbling beats allows for the lyrics and vocals to take centre stage, making the ballad all the more potent.

3.5/5

Track 12- Wish Your Love Away

Another mid tempo RnB ballad, Wish Your Love Away is a break up track all about Brandy singing of her angst for a former lover who played her like a fool and who she wished she had never loved. The multi layered tones of the chorus brings out the fragility of the song, whilst the verses find Brandy singing in a really defiant, straight edged I hate you kind of way. The songs sound nicely uses some cool pan flute and serrated drums to create a snappy rhythm that allows the lyrics to be more impactful.

3.5/5

Track 13- Paint This House

The final full track on the album, Paint This House is a mid tempo RnB track that features some military drum like percussion and ambient synth notes that allows the album to finish in a forceful but slinky way. The song is all about Brandy singing about wanting to create this state were the environment around her reflects the feelings that her and her beau have for each other. At this point the slinky RnB rhythms do wear a bit thin and the multi layered sensual style doesn’t pay off in the same way, so whilst this is a thoroughly nice track, it is definitely a weaker offering on the album, so it is a good thing that we are now coming to the end.

3/5

Track 14- Outro

The Outro basically ends the record in the same state that the Intro began it, and is actually just the Intro repeated again, which makes it quite unappealingly.

2/5

Final Review

Two Eleven is a slinky smooth RnB affair that nicely dabbles with elements of pop, hip hop and electronic music. The songs sound is nicely carved out to sound contemporary but not compromise on who Brandy is as an artist. The multi layered style of the vocals gives an extra kick to the songs, whilst the singer can still belt out some notes and add diva ad libs to tracks in her distinct style. And with the lyrics being tightly structured around often catchy choruses and being quite emotionally powerful, this record is a strong musical affair that is actually much better than some of the works of artists who are bigger than Brandy today. Therefore even if this album doesn’t sell as well as it should, Brandy should be proud and happy in the fact that she actually makes good music built on artistry and passion.

8/10

Best Track- Put It Down (featuring Chris Brown)

Worst Track- Outro  

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