Sun, Aug 2, 2020 at 1:00 AM. But there’s no venom to her protest, no stakes. Led by the single “Baby Mama,” the 15-track album about love, heartbreak and growth, includes appearances from Chance the … A record worth savouring, it sits alongside NewGen R&B talent... while retaining that classic touch. Hey!! Brandy co-wrote each song and had a hand in the production of almost all of them, joined primarily by Darhyl Camper (Toni Braxton, H.E.R. Baby Mama featuring Chance the Rapper is a rhapsody to her 18-year old daughter and an anthem for single mothers. A master of the form, it’s a joy to have Brandy back in our lives. “The tidal winds blowing/The storm inside is growing,” she sings, sounding less like a storm-chaser than a news anchor reading from a teleprompter. 19. Her dressing-down is so respectful and coolheaded you wonder why she’s bothering. The minute you hear those raspy, smoky pipes, you know that it’s Brandy that you’re listening to. “Sorry for my tardy,” Brandy sings on opener “Saving All My Love,” as if she’s running hours late to a party in her honor. The apology feels warm and sincere, but the music that follows never recaptures that initial glow. Brandy – B7 (Album Review) Posted at 09:46h CrypticRock cryptic rock, CrypticRock, Music reviews, News, Reviews 0 Comments. “I’m every woman,” she sings, evoking Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston. I want to point out that I’ve never considered myself a Brandy fan. Album Review: Brandy, B7. “Ain’t depending on you, I’m a baby mama,” Brandy says, the statement a boast and sneer. Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2020. Brandy allowed herself to explore her craft without the goal of creating a "pop hit" and the album benefits from it greatly. B7 … Brandy is back!The singer dropped her first full album in eight years, B7, at midnight Friday, securing her reign as one of the queens of modern R&B. Catch up every Saturday with 10 of our best-reviewed albums of the week. B7 isn't what you'd expect when you think of a "Brandy" album. At Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 6 reviews. Perhaps Brandy shouldn’t quit her day job when it comes to rapping – her attempt on High Heels is so-so – but the singer sure knows how to duet. 6.8 | Pitchfork. For R&B icon Brandy, it makes perfect sense to name her seventh studio album B7, as it exhibits the promise and healing she discovered on the personal path she initiated during her respite. That detachment might work if there were more sensuousness and motion to the record, but there’s little momentum to these songs. On “Unconditional Oceans” Brandy flatly describes love as a brewing storm. Please try again later. Love Again, featuring Daniel Caesar, ripples with lavish melodies, and their layered and distinct voices marry to create the bespoke cocktail your strange summer’s been missing. Sign up for the 10 to Hear newsletter here. It's seemingly the approach of those two younger artists -- progressive, deeply thoughtful, unequivocal R&B with no pandering to the mainstream -- to which Brandy adheres on B7. There's not a single song that you have to skip. #Brandy #B7 #TheBlondeCritic Hey!! Despite this active influence (as well as her regular TV roles across the 2010s), B7 bills itself as a return. Brandy: B7 review – back on her own terms | R&B | The Guardian Instead of drama, there is poise. After listening to Brandy's new album, B7, I thought it was simply amazing. Brandy, who has production credits on nearly every song, favors colorful and springy arrangements. The “vocal bible” of pop R&B returns with her first album in eight years, sounding poised and warm but lacking some spark. She elevates Ty Dolla $ign’s weary hometown paean “LA” and serves as the spirit guide on “Ascension,” the climax of Jhené Aiko’s druggy second album. Event Details. The familiar acrobatic vocals and sublime harmonies are there, but the R&B star’s first album in eight years is not all about nostalgia…. Aug2. Hit-Boy’s horn loop on “Baby Mama” is so bouncy that the song sways even when the percussion drops out. August 4, 2020 by Imogen Lawlor. 5.0 out of 5 stars The Vocal Bible Is Back!!!!! Her best music makes romance feel like a transplant, a foreign force adopted into your essence, keeping you alive—unless, of course, it kills you. Brandy is recounting stories secondhand despite them ostensibly being her own. B7 was met with generally positive reviews. It's cohesive and perhaps the truest reflection of her artistry we've gotten in a … “Don’t you ever hurt me/I’ll change on you,” Brandy warns, her voice quaking with tension. The … After an eight-year hiatus, Brandy has returned to music with her seventh album “B7,” which released July 31 via her record label Brand Nu and eOne Urban. Brandy has never been a particularly scenic writer, but she made up for it with extravagant, heartfelt performances. B7 isn’t exclusively a trip down memory lane, but it does cruise past a few old haunts. The ticking hi-hats and muted chords of Darhyl Camper Jr., LaShawn Daniels, and Brandy’s joint production on “Borderline” highlight the subtle upward and downward arcs of Brandy’s multiple harmonies; her voice is constantly coalescing and dissipating. B7 isn’t exclusively a trip down memory lane, but it does cruise past a few old haunts. In the nearly eight years since her last studio album, Brandy has maintained a sturdy foothold in R&B and rap. The final product is Brandy Norwood at her purest: an eclectic mix of modern and classic R&B sounds strung together by her distinctive, powerful … “Lucid Dreams” is just as deflated. Brandy is a badass on “I Am More!” Out of all the songs on B7, “I Am More” stands out the most, to me. The Music Report Card is back with more laughs, more fun and more MUSIC. The production is the album’s saving grace. You can feel the strain of her composure. Her irresistible and eponymous 1994 debut, Brandy, went multi-platinum and introduced pop and R&B audiences to a Mississippi native with a sweet face and sultry voice in the process of becoming a star. On “I Am More,” she tries to end a love triangle, giving the guy at the center of it an ultimatum. Read Review. t’s been eight years since Brandy’s last album – forgivable for someone who’s “been an original since 1994”, as she boasts on I Am More on this new one. Though Brandy’s voice remains a beautiful, resonant instrument, her songwriting here is so often functional and humdrum, and her performances rarely sparkle with personality or feeling. 7.0 | Exclaim. ‘B7’ is a triumph. Brandy’s trademark raspy vocals and sublime harmonies on Rather Be and Lucid Dreams are nostalgia-inducing for anyone who grew up listening to her acrobatic riffs and runs. Brandy | B7 by Brent Faulkner. ‘B7’ is weighted by statements of affirmation, with ‘I Am More’ and ‘Rather Be’ becoming mantra-like motions towards positive manifestation. “I can’t be the other woman/Mistress or a side piece order/I need more/Cause I am more,” she sings. B7 is meticulous in its references to pop and R&B history, of which Brandy's own career is such an important facet Read Review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Back in the mid ’90s R&B music was scorching the Billboard charts. Thankfully, Brandy pulls the nose up on B7 by the album’s end. She’s described the record, which has been released under her newly created imprint Brand Nu, as “freeing,” but she generally feels more withdrawn than liberated. Although it took eight years between projects, B7 is a comfortable place for an artist of Brandy’s stature without diminishing her legendary status. Welcome back to my new series #TheBlondeCritic.’ Today, I will be reacting and reviewing Brandy - B7 Album. SHARES. The “vocal bible” of pop R&B returns with her first album in eight years, sounding poised and warm but lacking some spark Read Review It has a strong guitar and drum presence, and it leans more towards rock than any other genre. 'B7' Review: Brandy cements herself as R&B royalty with first album in 8 years and 'Borderline' video Brandy delivers flawless vocals, smooth vibes and effortless storytelling on comeback release and proves her crown is hers alone 1, a feat that only eight songs have ever accomplished, including “The Boy Is Mine.” The writing and performances on B7, though, are reserved. After listening to Brandy's new album, B7, I thought it was simply amazing. Travis Green. She’s just as vulnerable on “Baby Mama,” proudly reclaiming the often dismissive term, but still baring her fangs. Tags: 2020, 2020 album reviews, 2020 music reviews, album reviews, B7, Brandy, Chance the Rapper, contemporary R&B, Daniel Caesar, music reviews, R&B, Sy’Rai Post navigation ‹ Getting to Know… That's a very good thing, though. While her reputation as “the vocal bible” seems to overlook the Gospel According to Whitney, the way she layers coos, sighs, and hums into knots of harmony and texture evokes the interiority of love, how it exists in your mind as much as with another person. Sometimes it works, as on “Borderline,” which is a coil of threats that feel perilously close to coming true. Her megahit “The Boy Is Mine” is the lodestar for two Mahalia songs, “He’s Mine” and “What You Did.” Vince Staples shouts out her song “I Wanna Be Down” on FM! Tom Brain, Neighbor. “Love Again,” her solid duet with Daniel Caesar, is a welcome addition, as is the album closer “Bye Bipolar,” a stripped down ballad that starts as a vow to protect her mental health but ends as a farewell to a toxic relationship. Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. There is only one Brandy Norwood, period. This is Brandy’s seventh studio album, eight years after her previous and is everything we need right now. There’s a strong sense of distance to B7, as if Brandy is recounting stories secondhand despite them ostensibly being her own. Brandy – ‘B7’ review: illustrious R&B star shares hard-won truths on forthright comeback record We've been eight years without an LP from the Mississippi star, … Less compelling are the moments when Brandy holds steady. “Bye Bipolar” is a by-the-numbers kissoff that makes a clumsy pun of “bipolar” as Brandy spurns a leechy ex with saintly grace. In this episode, Zaiah and Camarray review Brandy's new album titled, "B7." The ‘vocal bible’: Brandy’s influence on R&B singing is legendary. “I wanted to reconnect with music and find my sound — that unique sound that I’ve been searching for. And the propulsive finger snaps and bass kicks of “No Tomorrow” contrast the song’s grim subject matter about the end of a relationship. Every song is incredibly brilliant, insightful, mesmerizing, and powerful. With a career in entertainment spanning nearly 30 years, multi-talented artist Brandy marks her triumphant return to music in her latest album, B7. Share Tweet. B7, meanwhile, marks Brandy’s first independent release on her own Brand Nu Entertainment/eOne label (2012’s Two Eleven was released by RCA). It’s obvious she has many stories to tell; what’s less clear is what compels her to tell them, what makes her want to sing. Verified Purchase. ), Kim Krysiuk (Ariana Grande's "7 Rings"), and LaShawn Daniels (who co-wrote Brandy and … So good it could square up to 1998’s beloved The Boy Is Mine. The album art pays homage to her hero, the late Whitney Houston , … The Grammy-winning, mononymous R&B singer, who started in the game as a teen, possesses an expressive, timeless voice that’s truly distinct from everybody else. Brandy: B7 – Album Review. The R&B singer is such an icon that when you google the phrase “the vocal bible” her picture comes up, all thanks to the supremacy and range of her voice. B7 by Brandy Zip Download; Brandy has release a … The R&B singer is such an icon that when you google the phrase “the vocal bible” her picture comes up, all thanks to the supremacy and range of her voice. Her vocals, riffs, runs, and harmonies are out of this world. Album Review: Brandy – B7 Full. Her vocals, riffs, runs, and harmonies are out of this world. B7 is meticulous in its references to pop and R&B history, of which Brandy's own career is such an important facet. It’s been eight years since Brandy’s last album – forgivable for someone who’s “been an original since 1994”, as she boasts on I Am More on this new one. After an 8-year hiatus, Brandy releases her seventh full-length album "B7", which gives a second wind to the career of an R&B artist. Brandy kills it on the song, further demonstrating that she is … Brandy’s new album, B7, arrived on Friday (July 31). Brandy "B7" album cover Currently on the Billboard Hot 100, several female duets are hitting No. ; Chance the Rapper’s “Ballin Flossin” interpolates it. [32] Nothing really builds, progresses, or ascends. In this record, Brandy remains in her own style of the time, which fits perfectly into this year, nostalgic arrangements and thoughts, multiple exploration of herself, her path, love and much more. All this publication's reviews Album Review: Brandy – ‘B7’ ... B7 feels like its Brandy at the place musically she’s always wanted to be at without all of the major label politics. Songstress and actress Brandy returns to the scene with her seventh studio album, B7, via her own label Brand Nu and eOne Music. ‘All My Life’ (Parts One and Two) is a supreme act of soulful autobiography, but while she’s open about the struggles she’s been through, Brandy places emphasis on her optimistic aspects. Brandy – B7 If you were to ask an industry newbie what they aspired to achieve as an entertainer, the list probably includes a lot of what's already a reality for Brandy Norwood . “Guilt dealt me tragedy inside/Ate me alive,” Brandy sings, hinting at inner turmoil and strife (and possibly alluding to a fatal car accident she was involved in in 2006) but not really revealing the shape of her emotions. Add to calendar. Brandy’s trademark raspy vocals and sublime harmonies on Rather Be and Lucid Dreams are nostalgia-inducing for anyone who grew up listening to her acrobatic riffs and runs. 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