Discography Chat: Brandy

[jarrylf]

For this installment of Discography Chat we’ll be discussing 1 of my favorite acts of the 90’s, Ms. Brandy, and her body of work

Brandy, LOVE this album, of my faves of generation (Brandy, Aaliyah, Usher, & always lastly Monica) she has my favorite debut. It’s R&B but it has so many moods to it, so much versatility, and feeling. A true great R&B album to me. Standout tracks are I Wanna Be Down (IT SLAYS TO THIS DAMN DAY), Best Friend, Brokenhearted, Movin On, I’m Yours, Sunny Day, As Long As You’re Here, Love Is On My Side, & Baby

HM: SITTING UP IN MY FUCKIN ROOM!!!!!!!!! LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH, still remains my favorite Brandy song

Cinderella Soundtrak, I always forget this came before Never Say Never. All that’s worth noting really about is her vocal growth. Best shown in songs like Impossible, The Sweetest Sounds, & A Lovely Night. But its also a great chance to hear Brandy’s vocals with real instruments and it sounds great with them

Never Say Never, best album, don’t care if you don’t agree, it just is. It’s HER ALLL, she brings the vocals, she brings all kinds of new themes and new sounds, the instrumentals are great on every track. The Boy Is Mine is just as great today as it was when it was new, both Bran & Mo went all out on this song vocally, & the production was trendsettingAlmost Doesn’t Count ALONE, her voice & that guitar, to me that should’ve been a hit on the pop, R&B, & country charts, it fits all of those genres. Have You Ever is always just glorious, again the production and the vocals, WOO Diane Warren is just everything. Happy is very much my favorite Brandy dance song to this day, ever sicne 1^st listen, I LOVE that song, I gotta move when I hear it & either sing it or lip it lol. Never Say Never is great too, I think it’s ahead of it’s time, it sounds like a lot of the music in 99-01 to me. Lastly, she sang the HELL out of (Everything I do) I do it for you, it’s 1 of my favorite songs and there are 4 versions I love, the original, Rosie Gaines, Stewie’s, & Brandy’s. Before I state my standout tracks, it must be said by me, that to me she hasn’t quite done a followup to this album justice, I LOVE Full Moon, & I like Afrodisiac a lot, but to me none of them that followed this quite follow the tracks this layed. My Standout tracks Happy, Almost Doesn’t Count, The Boy Is Mine, Have You Ever, Never Say Never, Tomorrow, & Everything I do

Full Moon. I love this album, BUT…….I gotta say I feel like (and I’ve felt this way since it was new) it sounded more like the sound in 2000 than it did in 02 (same thing as Invincible). I HATE that she took 4 years, I understand why, breakdown, she had too much on her plate, but Im sure if she released the same album in late 00 it would’ve done better than it did and spawned more hits out of the singles. But I gotta say too, besides Full Moon & What About, there wasn’t exactly a ton of songs I could hear being always on the radio, but I think Can We would’ve worked. Lastly it should be noted I think it’s around this time she REALLY got into all the background harmonies and layering, yes I know she’s been doing that since album 1, but to me it was this album where I personally REALLY get touched by them. My standout tracks are Full Moon, What About Us, Can We, He Is, Come A Little Closser, & Love Wouldn’t Count Me Out.

Afrodisiac got off to a wrong start. Do NOT get me wrong, I LOVE Talk About Our Love, it’s great. BUT she should’ve released Who Is She 2 U as the 1^st single, especially with Usher fever going on at the moment and theres a version with him on it, take fuckin advantage (it was about time they did a duet, even tho he Ciara-Feedback’d it, but it worked, their voices work well together. I always knew they would). Who I Am is also a GREAT song and should’ve been a single (much more than Afrodisiac to me, and would’ve made a better album title). Sadiddy is nothing but classic Timbland in a good way, it’s also 1 of the best album tracks and would’ve worked as a single to me. Cool (Thought I’d Be) I like, but it’s tooo typical Timbland, sounds like the instrumental to all those JT tracks. Standout songs to me are Talk About Our Love, Who I Am, Who Is She 2 U, & Sadiddy.

Human, my least favorite Brandy album to date. I always liked Right Here, never got how so many people didn’t, I always thought that song was great. Long Distance…never liked, Bruno should’ve kept that for himself. Same for Human, it needed some umph for this track. The Definition SLAYS and should’ve been a single, I think the 1^st single to me. Camouflage would’ve worked too. My only problem with this album more than the others, it’s her least diverse album of them all. My standout tracks are Right Here, Human, The Definition, Warm It Up, Camouflage, Shattered Heart.

TwoEleven, I like it it’s a good step in the right direction, my overall problem with it tho is that it’s pretty forgettable, it has standouts, but but majority of the album I forget what it sounds like. That & it has hands DOWN her worst 1^st single of her entire career, Put It Down is HORRIBLE, I always thought so, it’s so not a Brandy song, it’s so K.Michelle, Tamar Braxton, Keyshia Cole. Great video to me tho. Wildest Dreams SLAYS its such a damn good song, it’s classic Brandy, it’s my favorite type of Brandy song. Music would’ve made a great single to me. Without You would’ve been a good single too. Standout tracks are Wildest Dreams, Without You, Wish Your Love Away, Hardly Breathing, & Scared Of Beautiful.

Note: All of my “Would’ve worked as singles” also kinda mans if she had the full promo and less drama in all the later eras. I very much believe without a lot of the mess that went on in her personal life and if she had the full labels support a lot of these later albums would’ve done better. Are any of them perfect followups to where Never Say Never left off? I don’t think so, but none of them to me are necessarily bad albums or desserving of the bad numbers and placings they get.

My Ranking

1.Never Say Never

2.Brandy

3.Full Moon

4.Cinderella

5.Afrodisiac

6.TwoEleven

7.Human

My previous installments of Discography Chat:

MJ - http://planetjanet.i...ichael-jackson/

Janet - http://planetjanet.i...-janet-jackson/

Sade- http://planetjanet.i...aphy-chat-sade/

Lil Kim- http://planetjanet.i...y-chat-lil-kim/

Rihanna- http://planetjanet.i...y-chat-rihanna/

Faith- http://planetjanet.i...at-faith-evans/

Usher- http://planetjanet.i...phy-chat-usher/

Aaliyah- http://planetjanet.i...y-chat-aaliyah/

Alicia Keys- http://planetjanet.i...at-alicia-keys/

TLC- http://planetjanet.i...raphy-chat-tlc/

Toni Braxton- http://planetjanet.i...t-toni-braxton/

Paula Abdul- http://planetjanet.i...at-paula-abdul/

Missy- http://planetjanet.i...-missy-elliott/

The Spice Girls- http://planetjanet.i...he-spice-girls/

En Vogue- http://planetjanet.i...-chat-en-vogue/

Destiny's Child- http://planetjanet.i...destinys-child/

Mariah- http://planetjanet.i...t-mariah-carey/

Whitney- http://planetjanet.i...hitney-houston/

Ludacris- http://planetjanet.i...-chat-ludacris/

Mary J. Blige- http://planetjanet.i...t-mary-j-blige/

Jill Scott- http://planetjanet.i...hat-jill-scott/

Jennifer Lopez- http://planetjanet.i...jennifer-lopez/

Outkast- http://planetjanet.i...y-chat-outkast/

Erykah Badu- http://planetjanet.i...at-erykah-badu/

Christina Aguilera- http://planetjanet.i...stina-aguilera/

Britney Spears- http://planetjanet.i...britney-spears/

Ciara- http://planetjanet.i...phy-chat-ciara/

Other members installments of the series:

Common- http://planetjanet.i...ns-discography/

The Black Eyed Peas- http://planetjanet.i...lack-eyed-peas/

Gorillaz- http://planetjanet.i...orillaz-thread/

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

Never Say Never >> Life

It's one of the first CDs I purchased

[jarrylf]

I didn't get until around the time Full Moon came out but I wanted it when it was new. GOD I remember when that era was new tho and she was EVERYWHERE & in EVERYTHING. What should be a artists promotional dream. The hit singles, the hit album, the hit TV show, the hit movie, & the hit tour, and it was all well deserved for that era.

[bu.]

First of all this is my opinion and if you don’t like it, get a dildo and stick it up your ass .

Brandy is one of the few artists I’ve experience since the beginning and has been a favourite since she first debuted.

Brandy - Her debut is cute. There’s some great bops on it but if I’m honest I use it the least. My favourites are Best Friend, Baby, Broken-hearted and Love Is On My Side (which I didn’t know Robin Thicke wrote until now!). Is it my favourite out of the 3 between her, Monica and Aaliyah? I’m afraid not – that goes to Ms Thang .

Never Say Never – one of the best R&B albums EVER. Have You Ever, Sitting On Top Of The World, The Boy Is Mine – this album has classic after classic healing our ears with each listen. However I think the true gem is Almost Doesn’t Count. It is my favourite song by Brandy, ever. That song is the O2 molecules needed to keep us breathing – it is life. I do wish she had explored that kind of R&B/Country mix a little more…it would have garnered her even more acclaim imo. I must say that I feel the most underrated song on the album has to be One Voice. Something about that song moves me every time.

Full Moon – truth be told I didn’t like this album at first. My bops were the singles and Anybody. However eventually it matured on me and it’s now my favourite Brandy album and it is her best tbh and I don’t care what anyone says. It’s dark pure R&B. The album didn’t have commercial appeal at all. She released the most commercial of te songs…yeah she got pregnant and it through her off track but I don’t see what else she could have released anyway except I Thought. You could see the change in Brandy as a person and Brandy has a vocalist too. Her voice changed, matured, got stronger. This is the album that allows us to call ha The Vocal Bible. The sound, vocal nuances, harmonies, arrangements have gone on to inspire Sean Garret, Jill Scott, India Arie, Fist Brown and many more including Rihanna (all from their words…not me). I have a vivid memory of listening to this album before it was released during an interview with Trevor Nelson. I was glued to the radio, and I had pressed record on an empty tape so I could ‘rip it’ LOL! That’s the old school way, I guess haha. I actually remembered a few months before that, on the day What About Us premiered on AOL and I did the exact same thing . Let’s be real – the album highlight is When You Touch Me. That song is everything and easily the best on the album followed by Nothing. The dubstep breakdown in All In Me - doing it before Britney/Taylor . Some of the songs can come across as mushy but in a weird way – it works (Wow, Come A Little Closer) and the harmonies truly shine. On top of all that – the emoting. You can feel real pain/yearning/emotions on songs like Love Wouldn’t Count Me Out and Nothing.

Afrodisiac – I’m going to be real. Waiting for this album was like waiting for Janet’s next album; excruciating. I was always salty that she got pregnant and “fell off”. People had forgotten about her and Beyonce was reigning the planet. I wanted my girl back. One day I got on the internet and Turn It Up had leaked. I literally felt like one of those girls at an MJ concert that would faint when he popped up. My excitement had no boundaries…my stan card came into fruition and I stanned HARD at school in the following weeks. Talk About Our Love was released and I was obsessed. I was underwhelmed by the song a little but it didn’t matter because Brandy was back. Me and my cousin would bop to it every day! Then more songs started to leak (I specially remember Finally leaking and I think the other two were Come As You Are and Necessary?). Once the album was out – my life was received. I had it on repeat every day. The album was so deep and personal and I loved every second of it. I also loved that used Coldplay before Jayonce became friends with them. Album highlights – I Tried, Should I Go and How I Feel. The sample of Clocks is genius. Focus has grown on me since the little debate recently . But it’s not the best on there. Afrodisiac was a good single to release internationally…however I Tried should have been released. I remember playing it for my school and all the anti-R&B/rock-lovers loved it! I mean the album inspired the Red Hot Fucking Chilli Peppers on Stadium Arcadium! Rihanna once again stated her inspiration .

Human – Perhaps her most intimate album? By the time this album came I was ok with the fact that Brandy would never see her 90s success again….and it was when sales started to become less important to me. Having said that – I was worried about her because it was her first album after the accident…I wanted her to be welcomed back with open arms. Her interview with Tyra always makes me a little emotional because I felt that she hadn’t truly fully recovered…she was like a deer in headlights. The album itself? I can’t remember initial opinions but I love the album, personally. I think I expected more from her reunion with Darkchild – and if I’m honest some of the songs sounded like Timbaland had a hand in producing them (Piano Man especially). I was going through some things at that time and I could relate to the songs so much, particularly Right Here, The Definition, Human and True. I needed to drop my baggage like The Definition states. Piano Man was such a fucking bop tbh. The lyrics are clever and she sounds so good! Where the album lacks in ‘polish’ it makes up in pure emotion and depth. I kind of agree with JArryl in the divserity department – some of the songs can sort of merge together and aren’t distinguishable…except one. Acapella. FUCKING WOW! SHE GETS IT! GHANDY! THE VOCAL BIBLE! PRAISE HA!!! WHO DOES THAT? WHEN WILL YOUR FAVE? YAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!!! That song is EVERYTHING and should have got her a Grammy imo . First N Love should have been a single – it had a slight pop appeal to it. It’s so weird though – casual R&B fans sight Right Here as one of their favourite Brandy tracks…and I think…but it wasn’t even played in the UK that much . It bothers me that she doesn’t like this album. I think it’s fantastic. Not her greatest work but a good effort nonetheless.

2/11 – truth be told this is one of the few albums where I loved it at first but wasn’t impressed later on. The album is all over the place imo. It has some great bops though. My highlights are What You Need, Music, Without You, Hardly Breathing, and Scared Of Beautiful. I think Brandy is at her best when she does dark, gritty R&B ala Hardly Breating/Scared. Overall the album can bore in places but it also picks up with my highlights. B for effort? I hope she comes harder.

Brandy is one of the few artists who actually has a GREAT unreleased back-catalogue. This Song, Drum Life, Decisions, Fear of Flying and many others. UGH. Sometimes I listen to those more than her albums! However if it’s one song that should never have been ‘unreleased’ – it’s Surprise Ending. Both versions are absolutely mind-blowingly amazing! If Brandy was to never release another album I’d be content with the music that I have because she’d be leaving behind a solid body of work!

[RedSimba]

(Disclaimer: I've listened to all but one album, so don't come to me yet if you want my opinion on Human. Also I'm rushing out descriptions as usual lol)

Brandy was one of my favorite 90s artists as well. Love her talent as well as her girl-next-door personality. I've also been with her since the beginning ... (is it me or am I getting deja vu? I might've dreamt of this Brandy topic before but anyway ignore that lol...)

Objectively, I would say either Never Say Never or Afrodisiac are her best works based on how much artistic growth both those albums showed. However, rating based on on how the album makes me feel, her self-titled debut is my favorite based on that familiar place it takes me to. The production has a very urban vibe yet a widespread appeal and that can be felt immediately with the opener "Moving On." There's also a certain innocence about it. "Baby" is my all-time favorite Brandy song -- I was a fan instantly! The opening chords alone are classic, and the harmonies in the chorus are world class. "Best Friend" is another favorite ~ very relatable and I love the jazzy vibe. Other highlights are "I Wanna Be Down," "Brokenhearted" (honorable mention to the duet remix with Wanya Morris), "Love Is On My Side," and "Give Me You."

Of course I can't discuss Brandy without mentioning her signature solo song "Sittin' Up In My Room." One of the best songs from one of the greatest soundtracks ever released. The quartet "Missing You" from Set It Off was nice too.

Cinderella was a great project for Brandy ~ it's my very favorite adaptation of the story, and she nailed the role along with the late great Whitney Houston - I love that Brandy insisted she play the fairy godmother. Speaking of the music, of course "Impossible" was excellent but I especially loved her version of "In My Own Little Corner."

As I said, Never Say Never showed a lot of growth musically. Of course it spawned "The Boy Is Mine" ~ a career highlight for both Bran and Mo, and one of the best female duets ever made. "Have You Ever" is a solid Diana Warren-penned ballad (always hated the radio edit for cutting out the bridge tho lol) ~ Brandy sung her heart out here. This album's the hardest one to pick a favorite to; it's very solid. Other highlights: "Top of the World," "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)," "Never Say Never," "Tomorrow" (gorgeous arrangement!), and "Happy" (catchy as heck lol).

I really enjoyed Full Moon on first listen, but for me it hasn't held up as much as her previous two or the next album. The beat of "What About Us" is bananas ~ very futuristic vibe. The title track is my favorite here. Some of my other highlights were "When You Touch Me," "He Is," (<--- great transition here!) "When You Touch Me," and her and Ray J's cover of "I'd Die Without You." Oh yeah, I also liked their "Another Day In Paradise" cover as well ~ also from this time period.

Afrodisiac I'd probably say is lyrically her best. I was on such a Damita Jo high at the time I hadn't gotten around to hearing it until a few years later lol. "Talk About Our Love" and the title tracks were both growers, and I agree "Who Is She 2 U" is a lot stronger. Some of my other favorites are "Who I Am," "Where You Wanna Be," "Focus," "Say You Will," but my favorite though is the enchanting ballad that is "How I Feel." The 2nd best R&B album of that year.

I still haven't properly listened to Human in full yet but I may plan to (so many albums, so little time ). I liked the lead single "Right Here (Departed)" though ~ not my favorite single she ever did, but it's a good song. I also remember a track around that time time "Sweet Nothings" would've been nice for an album (not sure if it'd fit on this one since again I only heard the singles lol). I didn't even care much for it either way at first, but I grew to like it.

Now Two Eleven, I have listened to though. I also didn't particularly care for "Put It Down" (CB rapping is just a complete joke to me lol). However "Wildest Dreams," now that's what I'm talking about! It's classic Brandy ~ the subtle flutes during the chorus give it her classic sound. Despite whatever it's reception was, I still thought that was a great single choice. Overall though, I felt the album lacked consistency but it had some good moments. Other highlights: "Slower" and "Scared of Beautiful" (The original by Frank Ocean helped me rediscover that song)

My personal rankings (of the albums I've heard anyway lol)

1. Brandy ("Baby")

2. Never Say Never ("The Boy Is Mine")

3. Afrodisiac ("How I Feel")

3½. Cinderella ("In My Own Little Corner")

4. Full Moon ("Full Moon")

5. Two Eleven ("Wildest Dreams")

[bu.]

My ranking:

1. Full Moon

2. Never Say Never

3. Afrodisiac

4. Human

5. Brandy

6. Two Eleven