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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