FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
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| CD REVIEW BRANDY · Sophomore effort for Brandy Norwood, the teenage R&B singer and star of TV's "Moesha." · Prom date was none other than (giggle, giggle) LA Laker Kobe Bryant and one of her favorite TV shows is "Moesha"! Excuse me for being cynical for a moment, but teenage stars seem to get the benefit of the doubt, probably because the public likes nothing more than to see former teenage stars fall. Hard. Enter Brandy - a singer and TV star rolled into one. Never Say Never is the ultimate middle-of-the-road dream. The so-called uptempo songs are as lifeless as a tequila worm, and the slower tempo songs will actually raise said worms from the dead in their attempt to hit the stop button on the CD player. Brandy's cover of "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" is a Bontempi, cringe-inducing experience, actually making the Bryan Adams original sound like a masterpiece. Having said all this, the album does contain the surprisingly great leadoff track "The Boy Is Mine" (featuring Monica), da bomb that will blow up in a big way. Let's forget about the extreme syrup-like qualities of the Jackson/McCartney duet on "The Girl Is Mine"; "The Boy Is Mine" is civilized, bordering on mean-spirited, contrasting the gorgeous strings, beats and vocals that drape the track. Unfortunately, one dope song does not warrant the purchase of Never Say Never, and neither do 15 mediocre tracks. As a result, this track will no doubt show up on some Polytel compilation, giving credence to the purchase of such an album. You've been warned. 1/5 |
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