Brandy - Never Say Never

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Music reviews of Never Say Never

Music Review: ...THE BEST POP/R&B ALBUM OF 1998...
Rating: 5 Stars

The type of sonic chemistry shared between Rodney Jerkins and Brandy on the 'Never Say Never' album is strikingly reminiscent of the musical synergy created two years earlier by Timbaland and the late Aaliyah on the 'One In A Million' project. Both 'Never Say Never' and 'One In A Million' were sophomore projects, and both Brandy and Aaliyah had reinvented themselves (new look, new sound) for their second albums. Also, both 'One In A Million' and 'Never Say Never' were marked improvements over their notably successful predecessors.

We begin with the "Never Say Interlude" that employs Timbaland-esque studder beats really well. Then, we're off into the dark, misty, and mysterious-sounding "Angel In Disguise", a jaded, bittersweet midtempo (featuring vocals by R&B singer Joe) that kicks off this album perfectly. Next up is "The Boy Is Mine", a duet with R&B singer Monica. Back in the spring of 1998, this song was a bona-fide hit, and an MTV staple. By September however, a very real "beef" had developed between Brandy and Monica, culminating in an extremely tense performance at that year's Video Music Awards. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), a future collaboration between Brandy and Monica is highly unlikely.

"Learn The Hard Way" is a guitar-laced, decent midtempo that oh-so-perfectly segues into "Almost Doesn't Count" which ended up becoming the album's fourth U.S. single. "Almost Doesn't Count" (like much of this album) has a "grown-up" feel to it. No more happy tunes like 1994's "I Wanna Be Down"...this album is all about heartache, pain, and a little bit of fun. "(Sittin On) Top Of The World" served as the album's second U.S. single. Featuring Bad Boy rapper Mase, this uptempo number addressed "haters" in a fun, lighthearted way; I like this one. "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)" was the fifth (and sadly overlooked) U.S. single...but I liked the remixes better than the original.

"Never Say Never" (the title track) was one of my favorites when I first heard it, and it still sounds as refreshingly crisp to me as it did back in 1998. However, my absolute favorite song on this album is track #9, "Truthfully". Written and produced by Marc Nelson (former lead singer of Az Yet), "Truthfully" is a beautifully arranged ballad that sounds as serene as a secluded, shimmering pond in the still of a warm summer night.

"Have You Ever?" was Brandy's hugely successful third U.S. single, and also a huge hit on MTV. "Put That On Everything" is a decent slow jam. After a spoken interlude, we go into "Happy", a song I felt should have definitely been a single; I've even heard it being played on occasion in a few department stores. "One Voice" is a surprisingly strong inspirational ballad, with powerful vocals by both Brandy and the splendid choir put together for this song. "One Voice" is easily one of the best songs on the album...

On "Tomorrow", Brandy gives her best vocal performance to date on this sad, yet empowering song about moving on from a less than satisfying relationship. Featuring lyrics like: "goodbye sorrow, I won't cry no more", a ballad like "Tomorrow" sounds like it was inspired from a real experience. In my opinion, "Tomorrow" should have been followed by an interlude, and closed the album. But no, we're given what I consider a bonus cut (and the album's only real misstep), in the form of an update of Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" that unfortunately doesn't quite live up to the original...oh well.

It took me almost four hours to write and edit this review...I really wanted to get this right. I could write a whole lot more (believe me), but I think I'll end it here for your sake (smile). In a nutshell, this is a wonderfully consistent album...pretty much every song here is top-notch. If you love Pop/R&B music, then I highly recommend this album be added to your collection. Grade: A

Thanks for reading!

Knyte, aka C.H.R.

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