Kelly Price - Mirror Mirror
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CD Details
Artist: Kelly PriceEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2000-06-27
Music Label: Def Soul Classics
Soundtracks:
- Mirror Mirror (Interlude)
- Good Love
- You Should've Told Me
- At Least (The Little Things)
- National Anthem (Interlude)
- She Wants You
- 3 Strikes
- Mirror Mirror
- Can't Run Away
- The Lullaby
- Married Man
- Like You Do
- All I Want Is You
- As We Lay
- I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
- Love Sets You Free
Music reviews of Mirror Mirror
Music Review: "Mirror Mirror" On The Wall, Who Has the Strongest Album of All?
Rating: 4 Stars
In terms of sheer vocal strength, few artists could rival Kelly Price. For nearly a decade before her debut album, Kelly made a name for herself singing backup for legends such as Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, although her own material demonstrates that she could give them a run for their money. A naturally soulful singer, Kelly has the rare ability to inject a sense of passion into nearly any track she is given to work with. Her sophomore effort was released in a year when the teenage pop trend was hitting its stride, and R&B releases were rather sparse. With this album, Kelly cemented her place as one of the industry's most underrated singers both in terms of material and vocal ability. Unlike her debut, Kelly seems to lean more toward the radio-friendly tracks without straying too far from her signature soulful sound. She is one of the rare breed of singer who can still make radio-ready music without sacrificing depth or else masking her voice behind the production. The resulting album is a criminally underrated R&B gem, from an artist who unfortunately has become equally as overlooked.
The "Mirror Mirror Interlude" is a nice, albeit somewhat unnecessary intro which has Kelly waking up to go into the studio. She jokingly asks the mirror "Who's the baddest diva of them all" only to be surprised when the mirror actually responds to her. In the end, someone knocks on the door and tells Kelly to stop looking in the mirror "as if it's talking to [her]." The interlude is pretty funny, but doesn't really add all that much to the album. "You Give Good Love" is an upbeat track featuring simple yet sweet lyrics that are only highlighted by Kelly's voice. The chorus can be a little repetitive, especially toward the end. It feels as though the lyrics could have been fleshed out much more. With a less competent singer this track likely would have fallen flat however, with Kelly's ability and passion, it marks a great start to the album. The bridge in particular is a highlight. "You Should've Told Me" is a very relate-able track where Kelly singing about how a partner should have shared with her more. Here, she describes how her man never told her that he was having problems with the relationship, so she believed nothing was wrong. This is a shorter track, clocking in around the three minute mark, but it is more than enough to convey the message and the emotion behind the track, showing just how important communication is. The R. Kelly-penned "At Least (The Little Things)" seems to be the companion to the previous track, presenting a similar tale from the opposite perspective. In this case, it is the woman complaining that her man didn't do any of the little things to show he cared, such as calling to say he's running late or sending flowers once in a while. Both these tracks show relationships in a realistic light, and unlike many other R&B artists, Kelly isn't expecting grand gestures, she just wants a few acts to show he cares.
"National Anthem (Interlude)" is another amusing interlude where R. Kelly plays the partner who just wants to watch his football game while Kelly is waiting to tell him off for not sending away another woman. It is sung in the tune of the American national anthem, making for a rather creative and unique track. As with the opening interlude, these help to show a more playful side to Kelly. It also leads perfectly into "She Wants You", one of the album's strongest moments. CO-written by Kelly herself and Shep Crawford, this dramatic track seems a follow-up to her hit single "Friend of Mine." Here, Kelly sings about a friend who is trying to weasel her way between Kelly and her partner. The lyrics are some of the most effective the album has to offer, but the real selling point of this track is Kelly's passionate delivery. Unfortunately, this track is followed by "3 Strikes", which is easily one of the weakest offerings. While it is not a terrible track, it suffers the misfortune of being sandwiched between two of the best songs. The verses are quite strong, however the chorus suffers mostly from being dominated by the background singers. The track also seems to drag on a bit long, mostly due to the repetitive nature of the chorus. Luckily, Kelly truly delivers on the next track, "Mirror Mirror", which is one of two songs that Kelly wrote all on her own. This track clearly proves that Kelly is just as powerful a songwriter as she is a singer. It is another track that takes on a darker, more dramatic tone which makes excellent use of live instrumentation that is quite powerful all on its own. The lyrics are easily the strongest that this album has to offer, as a passionate song describing unrequited love. Background singers are also kept to a minimum, allowing Kelly to shine easily on her own. The emotion and expression she puts into this are simply incredible, and this song stands out as a career highlight.
"Can't Run Away" takes things down a notch to a much less serious note, taking on a more jazz-inspired sound. On its own, this track is an enjoyable listen however it pales in comparison to the masterpiece before it. The biggest problem with this song is the over-use of the background singers. While they definitely cannot overshadow Kelly, they certainly make their presence known moreso than on earlier tracks and it can be distracting. However, the jazz sound and the expected passionate delivery keeps it from becoming completely lacklustre. "The Lullaby" brings the album back into highlight territory, as a beautifully moving track for Kelly's children. The track starts out with a phone call where Kelly asks them why they are still awake, and proceeds into a stunning lullaby reflecting on being away from one's children. The track also features vocals from Kelly's son and daughter, and unlike most songs that involve singing children, it actually works to this one's advantage (possibly because they are used sparingly). The focus remains on Kelly herself, and this is easily, and understandably, one of her most emotive deliveries. "Married Man" is another dramatic track co-penned by Shep Crawford, once again demonstrating his chemistry with Kelly. Unlike earlier on the album, Kelly now takes on the role of the other woman, encountering the married man she's involved with while walking outside. However, although Kelly expresses her love for this man, she also asserts that she would have sent him away had she known he was married. This is one of the album's hidden gems that seems to get overlooked even by her fans. Despite the somewhat overused topic of being the other woman, Kelly still manages to present it from a rather unique perspective. "Like You Do" is the only offering that makes use of a guest rapper, Method Man, although his part is not all that necessary. His presence may have been an attempt to make the track a little more radio-friendly, but the rap is merely average. Kelly's voice sells what otherwise may have been a lacklustre track. Although she doesn't do all that much with it, it remains convincing and a decent filler track.
"All I Want Is You" is the second track that Kelly wrote solo, and again stands as a testment to her abilities as a writer. Featuring K-Ci and Gerald Levert, Kelly confesses to each of them that she is seeing the other man before re-assuring him that she only wants him. Again, Kelly takes what could have been a very overplayed topic and presents it in a unique and engaging way. Despite the fact that she's cheating on them both, Kelly does sound convincing as she confesses to each of them that he's all she wants. The remake of Shirley Murdock's "As We Lay" was originally released as the first single, and acheived moderate success. If one didn't know that this track were a cover, it would be very easy to believe it was brand new. At the time this album was made, the track was already nearly 15 years old, making it closer to 25 by now, however it remains fresh and believable. Here Kelly remains both in the role of cheater and mistress, mentioning that they "both belong to someone else." The track seems to be about getting lost in the moment, and not thinking about the consequences. Kelly's controlled yet powerful performance makes this a truly stunning remake that quickly became a fan favourite. "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow" is the requisite gospel track that goes back to Kelly's church roots. Although it's understandable why Kelly would want to include this, it sounds out of place amongst the rest of the more contemporary material that the album has to offer. That's not to say that Kelly doesn't do it well; her rendition certainly is powerful. However, the track itself was not the wisest decision. In contrast, "Love Sets You Free" is a much stronger album closer that may easily contain the most guest artists on a single album track. This track also involves vocals from Dru Hill, Playa, Montell Jordan, Case, LovHer and Kandice Love. It is actually a bonus track, added on from the soundtrack to the Hurricane. However, for an extra track it fits quite nicely with the album, although Kelly's own part is minimal.
Overall Mark: 4/5
For an album that is already a decade old, it continues to sound remarkably fresh and current. One of the biggest strengths of the album is how Kelly is able to take themes and topics that had been done to death in R&B and present them in ways that still sound engaging and different. As with many other albums, the tracks are quite limited to topics of love and heartbreak, yet they are performed in such a way that prevents it from becoming stale. Of course, it certainly helps that Kelly is a powerful singer both in terms of sheer vocal ability and emotiveness. Even the filler tracks, which there are a few of, are brought to life by the delivery. There is not a single truly weak track to be found, although some are certainly stronger than others. While Kelly's debut introduced her as a powerful and soulful songstress, this album takes her one step further, proving that she is also a competent artist who can balance between radio appeal and her personal sound. Even with the most radio-friendly material, one rarely gets the sense that Kelly has compromised who she is as an artist in a cheap attempt to get a hit. However, the weaker spots do tend to occur when the material tries too hard to be popular, such as the somewhat forcibly catchy chorus of "3 Strikes" or the rap cameo on "Like You Do." In places, the lyrics can also be a little too far on the simplistic side of the scale, requiring Kelly to ensure her delivery makes up for it, and she rarely disappoints. However, Kelly is still at her best when she is given complete freedom to write the track herself, or else given room to really make it her own as she does on the majority of the material. All in all, this album is one of the many overlooked classics that R&B fans should add to their collection.
Description of Mirror Mirror
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