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Afrodisiac
For years, Brandy has been in a neck-and-neck race with Mya for the title of most anonymous R&B ingenue. Four albums later, and Brandy (like Mya) hasn’t come very far, but you can tell she’s trying. “Afrodisiac” demonstrates the diva-in-training has some pretty good taste, recruiting Timbaland and Kanye West to produce most of the album. If Brandy’s voice remains largely plain, such esteemed and creative collaborators go a long way to adding flavor. The Timbaland-produced title track skips along on a pretty flute and old-school drum-machine groove, while “Turn It Up” boasts a similarly old-school inspired hip-hop beat. West brings his trademark soul and intelligence to the single “Talk About Our Love.” But the biggest surprise may be in the album’s Coldplay worship: Brandy openly cribs from the lyrics of “Sparks” in “I Tried,” while the pretty album closer “Should I Go” samples the ubiquitous “Clocks.”
Take away: Brandy fine
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])