Bluebird of Happiness is Tamar’s first album as an independent artist and it’s a rather brief record, with its 11 tracks. In the past year she’s had a couple of ups and downs, from hers and Vince’s health issues to her much discussed firing from The Real as a host and the controversy that ensued.

The album is, however, more on the happy side of things as reflected in its title: Tamar is no longer singing about the struggle of romantic relationships, but she’s happy and confident in what she is and what she has. This is a positive record.

The Happiness

Right from the first track “My Forever,” Tamar expresses gratitude for the love that’s in her life “a dream come true.” The album continues then with three uptempo numbers that represent the side of hers that is not always represented by the singles and promotion she receives.

“Wanna Love You Boy,” which samples the almost homonym Robin Thicke track, is the closest we’re getting to a female response to Bruno Mars and “That’s What I Like” this year, with this mid-2000s sound.

“Run Run” and “Hol’ Up” are silly fun tracks that would probably work better on other albums, but are a joy to hear coming from someone as vocally talented as Tamar.

“The Makings of You” is a midtempo that samples Gladys Knight’s cover of the Curtis Mayfield track of the same name and it’s one of the most beautiful R&B tracks she’s ever done, even if the sample has been overused at this point.

“Pick Me Up” and its Evelyn “Champagne” King sample take us back to 2013 and “The One,” with the same fun and carefree vibe. Hopefully it will get some shine.

The Emotions

The first single, “My Man,” is a passionate ballad inspired by Tamar’s parents and their divorce. Written from the perspective of her mother Evelyn and what she felt when she found out about her husband cheating, it was an emotional and cathartic moment also for Tamar, the youngest of the Braxton children.

The three piano ballads showcase Tamar’s skills as a vocalist and an emotional songwriter. “Blind,” the current single is a Gospel-y number driven by a sparse production, harmonies and lyrics inspired by Etta James’s “I’d Rather Go Blind.” (I did feel the influence of Mariah Carey’s Elusive Chanteuse album as well).

“Empty Boxes” closes the album with Tamar realising that she’s no longer going to let her life be defined by expectations. It’s a moment of self-consciousness about cherishing what’s there without hoping for something that’s probably never coming.

Is it the last one?

This album doesn’t really break new ground artistically, but it is a worthy addition to an already strong catalog and one that will make the Tamartians both happy and sad if what Tamar’s saying will indeed turn out to be true. I’m confident this is not the last we’ll hear from her though. Pretty please!

Grade:
85/97

Listen to Bluebird of Happiness below:

The post Album Review: Tamar Braxton’s a “Bluebird of Happiness” appeared first on THE 97.

It’s surely been a great year for The Weeknd. After building a solid fanbase and a reputation with his mixtapes (later regrouped under the Trilogy collection released in 2012), Abel Tesfaye got a taste of chart success collecting 4 consecutive top 10 hits, of which 3 have been solo: “Love Me Harder” (Ariana Grande’s 3rd single from her second album), the Fifty Shades of Grey-featured “Earned It,” the #1 smash “Can’t Feel My Face” and, lastly, the promotional track turned single “The Hills.”

Beauty Behind the Madness, in stores this week, is then set to launch The Weeknd to pop star level, but despite working with Max Martin on a couple of tracks, it’s refreshing to find out that his music has not lost the traits that distinguished it when The Weeknd was just a new artist on the come up.

Sure, there are some blatantly commercial tracks which are aimed at pushing the album to the mainstream public that is slowly starting to appreciate him, but the record retains the darker sounds provided by his longtime collaborator Illangelo and the two sides find a fine balance on tracks like “Tell Your Friends” (where Illangelo assists Kanye West), “The Hills” or “Acquainted,” which pair his “traditional” production tricks with strong choruses.

And yet it feels like after “Can’t Feel My Face” makes his debut in the middle of the album with its groovy Michael Jackson hommage, the album changes its tones. The tracks become brighter, like the guitar-laced “Shameless” with its powerful declaration of loyalty. “In the Night” should easily be the next big hit from the album thanks to its huge chorus. “Dark Times,” a collaboration with Ed Sheeran, is driven by a bluesy guitar riff, while Lana Del Rey is the right fit for the ultra mellow “Prisoner.”

The Weeknd’s high pitched vocals are now clearer than they were on his previous work, echoed and mastered to fit the grand sounds that they accompany on this album. He did his best not to sound too whiny and jarring when he hit the higher notes and for that we are grateful.

Overall, it seems like Beauty Behind the Madness is a transitional record: it’s the best effort at bridging the gap between the Alternative R&B tag he had earned for himself and the newly found mainstream aspirations. An effort that seems to be paying off so far and that we applaud.

Grade:
80/97

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The Cassette Tape ’94 is a 5 tracks affair where the history of the Golden decade of R&B is condensed. Through the clever use of samples, such as Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” on “Undercover,” Teyana was able to turn up our nostalgia levels from 0 to 100.

“Your Wish” fuses the sounds of early 90s Hip-Hop with the doubled vocal tracks, adlibs and melodies you’d find in girl groups. “Tonight” is the kind of New Jack Swing ballad SWV showcased on their first record, instead.

The production of the mixtape was mostly handled by J. Hill, JR Rotem, Da Internz with the help of Kanye West and others, while the only feature is her boyfriend, Iman Shumpert, on “Who’s Gonna Make it Home.”

Teyana’s first album, VII, was released last year and while it had some shining moments, it wasn’t exactly consistent from start to finish. What she delivered with this mixtape is solid, high quality material that would’ve made for a great concept album. That’s why the only complaint is that five tracks is way too short. Give us more!

Grade:
85/97

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Today was met with an unexpected new single release from pop superstar P!nk… however, it’s not what you’d expect.  The single is actually the debut of music’s latest duo, comprised of P!nk and Dallas Green, also known as City and Colour.  Together, they equate to You+Me.

The duo’s debut album, Rose Ave., is due October 14th, and is lead by the single, “You and Me.”  This romantic, acoustic ballad finds P!nk exploring territory that was usually regulated to one track per album on her own projects.  It is comparable to songs like “Crystal Ball,” “Beam Me Up,” and “The One That Got Away,” but still fresh and different.

This spontaneous and creative move brings a refreshing change to P!nk’s catalogue.  Just as it felt she was an creative halt with her last album, The Truth About Love (which, while great, didn’t show much artistic growth), she follows up with this organic new single and album release.

The pair’s vocals mesh well, and the song is sung almost entirely in harmony.  It is a different approach to the traditional duet and it works remarkably well. P!nk’s soulful, bluesy vocal is complimented perfectly by Green’s wonderful low tones. Not only that, but its lyrics are simple yet moving and after one only listen the song feels like an old classic.

Thankfully, the album will be released in just over a month, so we do not have to wait too long to hear the rest of what is sure to be a great body of work from P!nk and Dallas, or rather… You+Me.  Take a listen to the single below.

Grade:

97/97

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Taylor Swift has been moving in more of a pop direction with each album release, and apparently with the upcoming 1989 she has made the full-blown transition. Swift is previewing the new set with lead single “Shake It Off.” The track has the driving ’80s beat needed for immediate impact, and it contains the type of horn blasts that have been prominent in recent hits by Macklemore & Lewis, Jason Derulo, and Ariana Grande. If it all feels a little too rote, too mechanical, there’s a reason; this was built to be a hit.

The post Single Review: “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift appeared first on THE 97.

In the first new verse, King B dropped some pretty shocking lines, but the most shocking is, of course, this one:

“Of course sometimes shit goes down when it’s a billion dollars on an elevator.”

Essentially, B is just saying “shit happens,” but in true hip-hop fashion she laces it with arrogance to say it in the most controversial and clever way possible.  Immediately following this verse is a bit from the original “***Flawless,” where Beyoncé sings, “my sister told me I should speak my mind, my man makes me feel so god damn fine – I’m flawless!”  By reiterating this line from the song (which was released before “the incident”) Beyoncé is, in her own way, reaffirming that everything’s fine with her sister and her husband.

While “***Flawless” is cocky (and a tad bit ratchet), and may on the surface appear to be just for fun, there is actually a more meaningful message behind the song: to embrace your imperfections.  This is a constant theme on the BEYONCÉ album.  By following up the lines about the elevator incident with her mentioning Solange and Jay, and then asserting, “I’m flawless!,”  she is saying that while everything isn’t perfect, while her life may be flawed, it’s okay because she still feels flawless.  Beyoncé didn’t get to the position she is in today by dwelling on negative energy and feeling self-pity.  She got there by being positive and striving through the adversity; by being a survivor.

As for Nicki, in her verse she says “he wants Monster Nicki in Sri Lanka” in reference to her verse on Kanye West’s “Monster,” which many have lauded as her best verse and lyrical peak.  She seems to acknowledge that people want to hear that Nicki again.  It’s best to listen and decide for yourself, but her verse on the “***Flawless” remix is indeed close to flawless, and may even be her best since “Monster.”  It even incited Lil’ Kim to go up in arms and add her own verse to the track.  Kim is upset that Nicki proclaimed herself to be the “Queen of Rap” as if she hasn’t done it before.  Of course, Nicki knew exactly what she was doing with that line, and the hit dog sure did holler.

Overall, the remix did its job and brought some major attention to Beyoncé and what seems to be the next single from BEYONCÉ, “***Flawless.”  The campaign so far has been quite unorthodox (for whatever reason, the remix hasn’t been sent to iTunes) and there has yet to be any formal announcement of “***Flawless” even being an actual single.  The video isn’t on VEVO (one must wonder, will there be a remix video?) and there is no radio add date, though at this point it probably doesn’t even need one.  Beyoncé has yet to seem to give any sorts of fucks about having a traditional, chart-defined “hit single” this era, so why start now?

Grade:

90/97

The post Single Review: “***Flawless” Remix by Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj appeared first on THE 97.

The acclaimed 23 years old rapstress dropped a hot new single called “Heavy Metal and Reflective,” which is available for purchase on iTunes. The song will serve as the second official single from her debut LP Broke With Expensive Taste.

The post Azealia Banks drops new single “Heavy Metal and Reflective” appeared first on THE 97.

The song is simple, and while at times, simple is good, this track leaves you wanting more; but not because it is so good, but rather because it’s unsatisfying.  And, when it comes to “Sex,” that’s quite disappointing.  The song has such a fierce title, but does not live up to it.  It’s almost as if it never, well, climaxes… listen below:

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