Mya
The Album That Made Me Love R&B Again...
ager to finally start a true African American rooted R&B Collection I was
very hasty, But also very careful. I remembered the bad experiences I had
while listening to R&B albums this decade (2000''s) and how they (along
with some of the rest of the stuff currently receiving WAYYYY too much
airplay on the radio) had me feeling like a fish outta water. The thing that
kept me going though was all the good memories...80''s R&B & the stuff
that was on the radio back when I was a kid (new R&B music''s golden
era). This disc illustrates some of the sounds of those Alluring slow jams
excellently. When I was deciding over which Mya album to buy, I relied
heavily on those good Ole'' 30-second samples on sites like ITunes & this
one: And I basically realized that the only albums worth getting were this
one & "Fear of flying": so the main question was...Which one is the stud &
which one is the dud? After all was said and done this one was the one
coming home with me & when it came through the mail January 9th, 2007 I
was very pleased. Now if you remember I said that I was a little wary about
this because, after all I had never bought an R&B album (For the reasons
stated above) and I was a little afraid it would be a "paint by numbers" bore
fest. But as soon as I put the CD on I could feel something happening,
Those Ole'' feelings started coming back...Not the bad ones, the good
ones! Track after track was a "stone groove" (Thats Mariah Carey talk)
The first song that really caught my ear was "My first night with you" (I
hear It''s a remake of a little known song by then up-and comer Deborah
Cox from her Debut) I can''t honestly say that she sings it better than
Deborah but Mya brings a tender young innocence to the table & handles
the song very gently, Until at the very end where she unleashes her
voice...The sheer power is amazing BUT her strained vocal performance
falls a little flat of vocal perfection, Still she handles the song more carefully
then Deborah ever could: And what about that young innocence? Mya is
an 18 yr old girl spending her first night alone with her boyfriend...How
sweet is that!!!? This song relates to just about any traditional teenage girl
in love (I jokingly call it the "I''m not a virgin anymore so I''m gonna rejoice
& sing this song" song) and she sings it very convincingly. I originally got
the album for this song (But some of the other songs ended up taking more
of a liking with me)
Point proven with "If you were mine": When this song swiftly became my
most played song on the album (info, for all you information lovers out
there) I was surprised to say the least. Over a Smooth melody Mya lays
down some easy breezy vocals about what she''d do if she were that
special someone: "I''d give you the world/If I were you''re girl/Ba by I swear
I''d always be there/Giving You love". This song is one of the cutest "puppy
love" songs I''ve ever heard & easily my favorite from the album. The thing
that is always refreshing about the songs on this album is that Mya doesn''t
feel the need to stretch out every syllable of every line: She pleasantly
sings within her range (save for the Sweet, innocent yet very strained "My
first night with you", Where she seems like she''s practically dying to give
herself a really bad sore throat) & cleverly adorns the songs with enough
frilly, pleasant notes to make it seem like you''re in the middle of setting up
a birthday party: "Still it seems like she''s holding back: BUT at the same
time you still get every indication that she can potentially blow, a fe at that
not every singer could accomplish". The whole album plays with that notion
actually: as soon as you think Mya''s gonna let her voice rein it in, She
sinks back into the ambiance of the track and lets her impeccable phrasing
take lead. This makes for some very romantic & Smoldering Slow-jams.
Mid-tempo 1 is "Baby it''s yours" and just like "If you were mine" it''s a
sweet, innocent "puppy love" slow-jam: Done in a rather subdued way Mya
talks about how all the love she has belongs to her man. The melody is
really strong, the vocals are dead on, and the overall effect (Just like "If
you were mine") is very charming. This song is the kind of song romantic
dreams & sweet nothings are made for (Tied for 2nd favorite song)
The song it''s tied with is "Don''t be afraid" and this song takes the
sensualness of the aforementioned to a whole new level. For the first time
on this album we undoubtedly move into adult love: Mya gets down and
dirty while motioning for some serious love making: "Don''t be afrai d to look
in my eyes/I''ll catch you if you fall in love". she sounds very confident in
reassuring her man that everything''s alright. If you weren''t lying next to
someone while "It''s all about me" & "Baby it''s yours" you certainly will be
now!!!
The other two Slow-jams couldn''t be more of a contrast: "It''s all about
me" is one of Mya''s most beloved songs & was her debut single. although
at worst it basically offers some evidence into the belief by some other
reviewers that she''s a S**t: She no doubt controls this track with her sheer
confidence & believability making Sisqo seem like an absolute slave who
has no choice but to do Mya''s bidding. (Sisqo: "I''ll be your slave
tonight"/Mya: "I know you will") If you thought that was cold you haven''t
heard nothin'' yet cause "If you died I wouldn''t Cry cause you never loved
me anyway" takes the cake and eats it too. This is Mya at her most (For
her sake I hope so) uncompassionate & Bitter. The lyrics are absolutely
jaw dropping & downright outrageous: and the song means just what you
think it means, even saying outright (If you were just skeptical) that she
"Hopes the man dies". I''d bet money on her not going to heaven after
singing this song!
The up-tempos are where this album (Surprisingly) makes a Screeching
halt. Save for the very catchy "Anytime you want me" she gets handed
some very B-rate material that makes me wanna decrease the rating one
or even two stars:
"What Cha say" repeats the same words over & over & over & over again
to the point where it becomes unlistenable; the only saving grace on that
song is the joy of being young & carefree. The same exact thing goes for
the EXTREMLY repetitive "We''re gonna make you dance" if you know the
words to the title you know practically the W HOLE song (And to be honest:
If you heard the song you couldn''t really be able to dance to it anyway); I
don''t know why the higher-ups gave her such insipid songs to sing; But
someone clearly wasn''t thinking.
The album redeems itself a bit with songs that are less repetitive: "Bye
Bye" (Though still pretty repetitive) gets points for showing Mya''s hardcore
demeanor without going off the edge. (If you died...etc)
"Movin'' On" is a favorite. (Even though the melody NEVER changes &
feels like it''s running on a treadmill) The bridge is the main reason I love
this song; and once it lost the bridge for Sillkk "the shocker''s" rap on the
remix, I predictably had less appreciation for it.
"Keep on lovin'' me" is actually rather good, but seems to sort of float by.
Not in the sense of "What Cha Say" or "We''re gonna make you dance" but
nevertheless it just seems like another average run of the mill song. I
swear It uses an Ol''Skool Biggie/Diddy sample, But I can''t really decide
on which one. (Some of Diddy''s productions sound identical anyway)
*Before I go further* I wanna say that if it seems like I''m hatin'' on the
album I''m not, It''s just that Mya deserved WAY better material than some
of these Up-tempos and if given the right opportunity I know she could''ve
shinned. The fact that these underwhelming Up-tempos cover the majority
of this album weighs the album down so much that the average songs tend
to get extremely over-rated just for
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