Two Eleven

One of my favorite singers is back with a new album after 4 years. Brandy released Human in 2008, which I felt was a great album because it was so honest but she felt that her long time producer, Rodney Jerkins and label didn't give it the support album. After label changes , she finally got the music she wanted. But this album Two Eleven is very personal to her because her idol the great Whitney Houston died on her birthday, which is February 11. So Brandy thought that naming this Two Eleven it would be a dedication to her idol. From listening to this album Brandy didn't disappoint. 

Now we know that this industry has clearly changed since Brandy was on top of the charts, so with this album coming out I was nervous because I didn't know if the music world would accept Brandy again. Also, R&B music is not in the forefront of mainstream music anymore. As I stated before, I was nervous but Brandy brought it on this one. Now when her single "Put It Down" was released in May. I had mixed feelings but I just admired her swag on the song. After a few more listens, the swag took over and I love the song. I felt she was giving me Afrodisac era swag. I understand why this was the first single because it caters to the young music market but still the Brandy fans know B-Rocka is coming. So about 4 months later, I was on twitter and Brandy tweeted that she has a song for the fans. Then "Wildest Dreams" blasted into my headphones. Brandy's vocals is epic on this song, this is the Brandy that I have been waiting for. I started tweeting Brandy is back!. Now listening to this song everyday, Brandy tweets again "Starz I have another track for yall". Then she leaked "No Such Thing As Too Late". Brandy again amazed me again with her vocals on this mid-tempo. I tweeted "songs like this shows me why Brandy is one of my favorite singers". I knew then Brandy was NOT playing with this album.

After so many people wanted the album to leak, it finally did this Thursday. And when I tell you Brandy is back, I really mean she is back. This album is amazing and on October 16, I will be buying 3 copies. Brandy deserves to have this shining moment. 

After a little(lol) background for yall, time to talk about this AWESOME album....

The album begins with an Intro that most definitely into the album. Then the second single Wildest Dreams is the next track so epic as I explained earlier. Next song is So Sick, I remember a video on youtube when she was playing the beat for her brother Ray J. Brandy was riding this beat with her vocals, which is her specialty. Then we go into one of my highlights of the album Slower, on this song Brandy has so much swagger. I never wanted this song to end. Next is another favorite of mine, No Such Thing As Too Late. Brandy is giving me the Full Moon era with this song. I just love her vocals on this especially at the end, when she hits that note, vocal heaven. Next is the club banger, Let Me Go this song will definitely get you in the partying mood. Then Without You gives me Apart vibe from Full Moon. The vocals are great as usual it's such a laid back song. Next, is the first single Put It Down with Chris Brown, Brandy has to much swag on this. Like I said, I understand why this was the first single. Another favorite of mine is Hardly Breathing the melody and the Brandy vocals are standout outs. Next is Do You Know What You Got Have this song gives me Like This vibe from once again the Full Moon album. Very sexy vibe song. Now to my favorite song on the album, Scared of Beautiful. This song speaks to my soul, when I heard this it brought tears to my eyes. Frank Ocean murdered these words and Brandy brought those words to life. "Scared of the truth so much more than a lie" those words hit home for me. Next track, gives me the Full Moon era once again. Wish Your Love Away is a laid vibe song like Come A Little Closer from Full Moon. Paint The House & Can You Hear Me Now are good songs. Music is an anthem for me because I love the beginning "I wake up to you and go to sleep to you" and lastly "I am lost without you". This song is my life. And to close the album she has the banger What You Need. To me this song is Brandy's message to the fans telling us she has what we need, which is good music. That's what I take from the song. But she also singing this to her boo Ryan. 

Brandy with this album has proved why she is and should be forced in this game. This is such an awesome album. She gave us the classic R&B from the first album, Brandy. She gave us the pop appeal from the second album, Never Say Never. The epic vocals from Full Moon she was SANGING on this album. She was giving us the swag from Afrodisiac with songs like Slower, So Sick, and What You Need. And lastly, this album is as honest as Human with songs like Scared of Beautiful and Hardly Breathing. With all that, Brandy didn't lose herself on this album and I want her to win on this. 9.5/10

STANDOUT TRACKS

Wildest Dreams

Slower

No Such Thing As Too Late

Scared of Beautiful

What You Need

Songs For Moment...Just A Feeling Part 8

Tears of Joy-Faith Evans

When I heard this song I fell in love with it. Now Claude Kelly used the sample from Aretha Franklin's "Baby Baby Baby". I wanted Mary J. Blige to remake this song so bad but Faith beat her to the punch. Faith did an awesome job with this song, it's so soulful and it's my favorite song right now. I listen to it everyday. I told Claude Kelly on twitter, thank you for this song. 

Listen to this EPIC song

Sample from Aretha

Where's The Fun In Forever-Miguel & Alicia Keys

Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream is a good album. He most definitely gives you the Prince vibe. I like the whole album but this "Where's The Fun In Forever" is such a stand out for me. The song is musically epic with the drums and A Keys playing the piano. EPIC! (Go get this dude's album)

Listen to this great musical collabo

No Such Thing As Too Late- Brandy

Now Brandy new album Two Eleven is coming out in about 2 weeks and she has been leaking music. When I hear Put It Down, I said  "Brandy is coming with the swag". Then she came with Wildest Dreams, I said Brandy is not playing with us with this new album. The 2 days ago she leaked "No Such Thing As Too Late" I was in music heaven. Even tho Rico Love isn't one of my favorite producers because he recycles alot of his songs. But this song him and Brandy's collabo was epic. Brandy brought it with the vocals....OMG

Vibe with B rocka on this

 

Utah & The Drifters

The Drifters

About a week ago, I was listening to The Drifters' greatest hits and it brought back memories of the magic moment I was introduced to them. So, as a result, I felt that I had to write about that moment so vibe with me as I take you through that moment.

By now you know, I have gotten my musical taste from my mother. And during our South Carolina days, my mother use to listen to oldies and as soon as she started playing them, I used to run in my room and play Super Nintendo. During that time I didn't want to listen to that. I wanted to listen to Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and some hip-hop. But as I would run away she would tell me "When you get older you are going to love this music, because that's what happened to me". I never wanted to understand what she meant, but today I get it. My friends and family know that oldies are my favorite.

Now this Drifters story starts during my families' South Carolina days when music played a big part of our lives. See my mother was going to college and my father was a truck driver. So sometimes my mother and I would go on trips with him. But this particular time he had this trip going to Utah. At first my mother was little concerned about it because she didn't want me to be out of school too long. But my mother knew I could handle it. As a result, Utah here we come. (Don't want to showoff but I was really smart kid, honor roll all the time. I would have like 25-30 days out of school and still got awesome grades....WELL enough about my grades back to the story....lol)  

The journey to Utah begins and my mother puts on a cassette (funny right). And this song comes out of the speakers.

This Magic Moment

Sound so good didn't it? I didn't feel that way then. I wanted my mother to turn it off. Now I couldn't run so I had to deal with it. I looked at my dad and my mother had him so gone with soul music he was vibing to it. Even if he didn't like it, he wouldn't say anything because he didn't want to hear her mouth. But me "mom please turn this old stuff off". But of course she didn't pay me any attention. So, the album continued to play and the more it continued the more I started to like it. Seeing that we had a long trip and my mother wasn't listening to me, I felt I was forced into liking it. As the album kept playing, two songs came on that I actually knew 'On Broadway' & 'Spanish Harlem'. The reason for me knowing these songs because the jazz legend George Benson remade 'On Broadway' and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin remade 'Spanish Harlem' Check out each version

Drifters version of On Broadway

George Benson version of On Broadway

Drifters version of Spanish Harlem

Aretha Franklin version of Spanish Harlem

Epic right?? Aww man the original was great but even the remakes were great too. Aretha and George made those Drifters classics their own. So I asked my mom "so the Drifters made these songs first"?  She said "yea George and Aretha were not the first to make those, so many different artists back then remade the Drifters records". With me taking a liking to this, I wanted my mother to continue to keep playing it. By the time we got to Utah, I knew all the words to the songs. Sometimes my mother, dad, and I would sing the songs together. Awesome family moment! The song I can remember us singing together was 'Save The Last Dance For Me'. My mother would always sing lead because OF COURSE she knew all the words and me and pops were the background singers. (Doo wop pop pop in my Tamar Braxton voice) 

Save The Last Dance For Me

Aww listening to that brings tears to my eyes because I can feel that moment with me and my family singing this in my pops truck on the way to Utah. What a magical moment!

Fast forwarding to last week, I was on amazon and I was looking for music to buy and I came across "The Very Best of the Drifters" I knew I had to buy it because these guys played a big part of why I love oldies because of that magical ride to Utah.

Here are other Drifters classics

Up On The Roof

Under The Boardwalk

Fools Fall In Love

There Goes My Baby

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRIFTERS CLASSIC??