Kelly Rowland Here I Am Review

It’s been almost a year-and-a-half in the making, but the day has finally come – Kelly Rowland’s new album is in stores…for real! Ever since the release of her 2006 sophomore effort Ms. Kelly, Kelly has gone through management changes, moved from longtime label home Columbia to Universal Motown/Republic and began finding herself musically in the world of the Dance genre with international success following. Fast forward to 2011, Kelendria’s star is shining brighter than ever in the US since she released the Lil Wayne-assisted lead single “Motivation,” spending eight non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart and reaching top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, her first solo single to do so. And with a nice little new major gig as a judge on the popular UK version of X-Factor, Kelly is doing better than anyone had ever expected.

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This go around Pop star Demi Lovato switches up the direction of her music a more grown-up, maturer sounding album. Check out my review of her latest album Unbroken, in stores September 20th.

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All Night Long  ft. Missy Elliott & Timbaland= Dope record. This could be a hit on Urban radio and should be an upcoming single. It’s a club record that shows some good vocal range, nice production and writing. Definitely the best overall song on the album. Check out the dope record above! 10/10

Who’s That Boy ft. Dev= Corny pop song, but good for people who want something to dance to. It still reminds you that you’re listening to a former Disney star, but then Dev is talking about some dude looking at her hips- reminding you that Demi is a FORMER Disney star, even though Dev‘s rap is weak. 5/10

You’re My Only Shorty ft. Iyaz= It’s sappy pop song, but it’s nice and has a good bounce to it. 8/10

Together ft. Jason Derulo= It’s an alright Pop song that preaches “stop the hate,” but Jason is not convincing me that he’s heterosexual, not even on record. 6/10

Lightweight = A solid Pop ballad. This too could work on Urban radio. It has a nice emotional feeling to it. 8/10

Unbroken = The album’s title track is a hot Dance record. I think the label should push it as a single for Pop radio, hopefully before they decide to go with that mess with Dev on it. 8.5/10

Fix A Heart = A strong, solid ballad. She showcases her vocal talent on this record, but she limits her range. 8/10

Hold Up = Weak Pop/Dance record. It’s straight from 1999. she said she’s “addicted to the danger,” but I don’t think she’s getting that risky on this track. The best part about the track is that it’s the shortest song on the album. It’s clearly a filler. 4/10

Mistake = The track opens with “now that I’m thinking sober”…um, she’s drinking now? Lol, anywho it’s a cool Pop record with a love-error message. It could work as a single. 8/10

Give Your Heart A Break = She tries to extend her vocal range, but shows how limited she is when she tries to hit lower notes. Other than that the singing is good, the beat is cool and the song has a nice twist to the simple love song. 7/10

Skyscraper = The first single from the album. The emotional ballad is on of the most emotional on the album. It reminds me of those emotionally songs Christina Aguilera and P!nk co-wrote with Linda Perry. Check out the music video below. 9/10

In Real Life = It’s a good song, but sounds like a demo for a more soulful singer to sing. Demi has a good voice and probably the best voice of all the Disney stars of this generation, but I think the song would be better for a Christina Aguilera or Jessie J. type singer. 7/10

My Love Is Like A Star = This song is okay, but the lyrics on the chorus make the song not as strong as it should be. Otherwise, it’s a nice ballad. and has a Toni Braxton feel to it. 8/10

For The Love Of A Daughter = Wow, Demi gets deep on this one. This song definitely has the deepest meaning of all the songs on the album. It reminds me of Christina Aguilera’s “I’m OK.” The passion and lyrics are winners. 9/10

Stand out records: “All Night Long” ft. Missy Elliott & Timbaland, “Skyscraper,” and “For The Love Of a Daughter.”

Tracks to skip: “Who’s That Boy,” “Together,”and  “Hold Up.”

I think it’s very clear the label stuck all those features in the first few tracks so when Pop fans see the album, they’ll see other artists they may like when the check the back of the CD and get excited and buy it- but that’s a weak marketing ploy. It’s a good album, but with too many fillers. Demi could have done better having 11 or 12 songs and using the fillers as “bonus” tracks for a Deluxe album or for Japanese/UK/Australian/International/iTunes editions.

RECOMMENDATION: I actually recommend this album. I give the album a solid, well above average rating of 7.5. Overall, it’s a good album. Buy it online or in-store on the 20th of September 2011.

North Carolina emcee and Roc Nation/Columbia Records artist J. Cole is releasing his new album Cole World: The Sideline Story on the 27^th of September 2011 (the album was released on the 23^rd in Europe). Check out my review of the album to get incite on the album as a whole.

Intro- Simple and straight to the point intro. He starts off with telling the story of the day he got signed, but never talked about that day. 8/10

Dollar And A Dream III- Solid, good song. He uses Tupac‘s flow on the hook and it fits. A very dope life record. 10/10

Can’t Get Enough ft. Trey Songz- The song is dope, but I don’t know why he chose this as his single. I would’ve chose “Mr. Nice Watch” with Jay-Z instead, but this is still a hot record nonetheless. The song has huge replay value. 10/10

Lights Please- It’s an okay song and a bit expected from Cole. The record is a bit boring though. The beat sounds like a beat Nas would pick, and I could hear someone like Nas or even Lauryn Hill on this beat. 7/10

Interlude- J. Cole finally talks about the night he signed his deal with Roc Nation. The piano playing was nice and the best part of the interlude. 8/10

Sideline Story- The piano playing continues from the interlude. Honestly, the interlude is better than this song. I mean, the lyrics are nice, but it sounds like this song would be better live, but to hear the studio version you have to be in a certain mood. You cannot deny the lyrics and chorus, though. 8/10

Mr. Nice Watch ft. Jay-Z- I loved this song since it first leaked. It’s very solid, but it doesn’t seem to match the laid back character he’s known for. Jay, of course, puts in a nice braggadocios verse. 9/10

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Cole World- Now, when a song title includes part of your album’s title, it should be hot. This is not. The beat is annoying and he isn’t really saying anything different in the verses. The song has no replay value. 5/10

In The Morning ft. Drake- I like the song, but always thought a female rapper (Nicki, Guyana, Rasheeda?) should have been on the track instead of Drake and a better male singer on the chorus (Mr. Hudson?). Other than that, the song is solid and it was expected these to emcees would team up on an album. I would have added this as a bonus track, though. 8/10

Lost Ones- Cole uses his mentor Jay-Z’s same song title, but with a different topic. The song is about a guy who gets his girlfriend pregnant and isn’t ready to be a father. The girlfriend is upset because she feels rejected and refuses to get an abortion. It’s a deep record. Though J. Cole is no good singer, his singing fits on the chorus to this song. 10/10

Nobody’s Perfect ft. Missy Elliott- I would’ve never thought they would collaborate, but I’m glad they did. I would’ve expected Missy to do a song with Jay-Z, but it’s hot. The song reminds me of something Missy would have done in the late 90s. The beat is simple, but it works. 9/10

Never Told- J. Cole ironically spills the beans on how he caught his dad cheating on his mom and “never told.” He then says all the things that men do that are wrong in relationships. It’s a nice, straight-to-the-point record, but it could get dull. 8/10

Rise And Grind- Cole goes on a lyrical rampage, but his singing on the hook is unnecessary. Also, the “speed the sample up” style of beat is played out. The beat and singing brings the song down from a potential 10 to an 8. 8/10

God’s Gift- Solid introspective record with a nice beat. J. Cole put in work with this one. 9/10

Breakdown- This is probably J. Cole’s most personal record. He raps about his mom’s crack addiction and his father being absent in his life. 9/10

 

BONUS TRACKS:

 

Work Out- LOL, I thought it was kind of funny that he used interpolations from Paula Abdul. The song is okay as a buzz track. 7/10

Cheer Up- I now see why this is a bonus track. It’s nothing special. It has a nice meaning, but it doesn’t excite you or make your want to play the song. 6/10

Nothing Lasts Forever- It’s a cool song. It had a mid 2000s feel to it. He probably included it as a bonus track because it has the same message as “Never Told” and bits of “Nobody’s Perfect.” 8/10

Daddy’s Little Girl- This song should have been on the main album and “In The Morning” should have been the bonus track. Not only is the song dope and the beat is hot, but it has a different message that wasn’t preached on the main version of the album. This could be a dope single/video.10/10

Who Dat- The first buzz single and delayed single from the album makes an appearance as a bonus track. It’s still cool and was the record to let people know who J. Cole was as the next up comer. 8/10

In all, the album is a solid 9/10. Make sure you pick up the album on when it hits stores!

 Stand out tracks: “Can’t get Enough,” “Dollar And A Dream III,” “Lost Ones, “Daddies Little Girl”

 Least favorable: “Cold World”

 

 

Okay, I just listened to Syleena Johnson‘s new Underrated album, which is in stores now. Just know that this is my opinion. You can always buy the album yourself and create your own opinion about the album.

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R&B singer Joe is back with his ninth studio album The Good, The Bad, The Sexy and we’re hear to tell you all the good, bad and sexiness that goes on with this album with a play-by-play review.
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