A Tell Tale Heart Mixtape Review

It’s been almost 3 years since “the meeting that changed everything” occurred. Rumors circulated amongst fans about solo careers launching off. Dissatisfactory with management and career obligations began to tear group members a part. Then, Diddy did the unexpected: he kicked the ever rebellious Aubrey out of the group. And D. Woods soon followed. Shannon refused to continue on without the group as a collective, leaving only Dawn and Aundrea to put the shattered pieces in place. But, the group eventually faded to black, leaving a world of unanswered questions: why? And what happened? People pointed fingers of who’s to blame for the disbandment of Danity Kane, but no one really knows. All we have left is the music and broken promises of the potential greatness that could have been…Two multi-platinum albums later, broken hearts and swollen eyes are still mending hoping on a wish and a prayer that members will sacrifice their pride and unite once more. This is slim to none at this point as each member have went on to design solo success.

Fast forward to Dawn Richard. The rumors about her participation were like a hurricane, uncontrollable and outrageous. Some call her Diddy’s most loyal “snitch” by secretly being in cahoots with Puff to bring Danity Kane down from the inside out and blame her for the dismantle. Others believed that Dawn ultimately was a victim who was forced to stand alone and create a way for herself in mist of the madness. Despite the continuous hate, insults and negative attention, former member Dawn Richard arose from the ashes and invites listeners into the sketches of her heavy heart on her first official solo mixtape entitled A Tell Tale Heart. Sampling much of the same sound she assisted with crafting in on the futuristic love ride of Diddy’s Dirty Money project Last Train to Paris, A Tell Tale Heart is a bit more moodier and reflective, as much of the material gives us a peak to what Dawn would publicly would not say. Always one to remain tight lipped about her personal and professional matters, Dawn’s funky alto vocals lets loose and soulfully glides over the Techno Pop, Hip-Hop neo-soul production.

The more upbeat material includes a more flirtatious and cocky content: “Superman/Superman (Auto-tuned Acapella)” finds Richard trading in the mic for the infamous red cap to save the day, while on “Biggest Fan,” the singers rising status attracts male suitors. “Hey” is heavy on the drum thumps as Dawn explores new feeling discovered by a new man in her life. “Runaway” is the catwalk’s anthem for fashionistas all over who like to step out in style.

By track 5, the production is still great, but the content in the lyrics become more focused on relationships and shattered love. “Me, Myself and Y” is the mixtape’s lead single and contains that Hip-Pop electronica sound we hear a lot on today’s contemporary R&B stations. On this song, Richard regains a new identity in a staggering relationship while questioning “why” did she participate in such Bafoolery from the get-go. “Broken Record” is about catching your significant other in a bold face lie as they can’t seemingly spit out the truth without stuttering or periods of long pauses.

“I Know,” which features Dirty Money band mate Kaleena, as the singers confess their wrongdoings within a relationship and plead for their lovers not to leave. “Let Love In” approaches a bad experience in hindsight with ultimately feelings of remorse for being a part of that something. To end the issue, she pleads to “let love in” in order to wash away the pain. “I’m Just Sayin’,” is just a friendly reminder to her guy that he could have had the best of her, but his mishaps ruined everything.

“These Tears” has to be the shining star in the bunch. Lyrically, it talks about letting go of a tired relationship and having wet eyes in honor of the dead relationship. “Vibrate” shows off Richard’s low falsetto in a sexy manner as she commands her man to make her shake while they make love. In “Champion,” Dawn patiently awaits her Prince Charming like Rapunzel enclosed in a tower. In the final track “Bulletproof,” we see that love has wrapped a security blanket around the chocolate beauty and refuses to let go.

In all, if you’re looking for songs that contain closure to the Danity Kane incident or vindictive messages and maybe even a bit of grief, A Tell Tale Heart doesn’t offer that. Interestingly enough that Dawn Richard would choose an Edger Alan Poe ghost story homonym to describe her journey. The comparisons are artistically parallel: a man driven to murder, who is later on haunted by a guilty conscious that nearly drives him insane; to her story of success within a international recognized girl group who’s problematic personalities ultimately led everything down the drain. The title is metaphorically symbolic as Richards nearly lost her way among the tyrants. But, back all shiny and new, Dawn Richard is moving forth without dissing or playing the name game. Here, she just does what she does best and that’s sing. Now, that’s a tale to tell. Head on over to Dawn’s blog to download her her heart felt story here: http://dawnrichardblog.com/

Calling All Hearts Album Review, Part 2

Though Calling All Hearts attempts to show both constellations of love and its unpredictability, some songs falter and even suffer because of it. It’s not not necessarily the production that’s bad, because Cole enlisted some of the most prominent contemporary Hip-Hop and R&B heavyweights to contribute to her project. But, it’s more so Keyshia’s poor writing skills that are to blame. I’ve never really been too fond of Keyshia Cole, the songwriter. If the beat is the backbone of a song, then lyrics are the meat, and Keyshia’s lyrics are totally rotten. They aren’t very catchy but more of a spoken-word lyric-in-a-song type deal. I understand that nowadays in the industry, the songwriter gets more of the profit than the actual singer does, but I feel as if she’s pressing for more writing credit because it gives her more of a writing cache, in comparison to someone who doesn’t even write a single word. Some of the lyrical content on this album is very incomprehensible. However, Cole is still early in her career where she can have mishaps. And with her earlier work, she has secured herself a spot as one of the reigning artists within the R&B world.

The first single released is the atrocious sing along “I Ain’t Thru,” that settles more as a poor statement about slaying the haters and reaching the top of your career ladder. I was highly disappointed to hear this song as a lead single because it just didn’t captivate Cole’s passionate vocals and left me, if anything, uninspired. And to think that she featured Nicki Minaj with intentions of catapulting the song to #1 status, who’s golden whimsical rap verses automatically shot straight up to the charts as a featured artist, only blew up as smut in Cole‘s face once the single wasn‘t well received by the general public.

“Long Way Down” produced by The J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, steers Keyshia’s vocal power and the listener in the right direction, as Keyshia sells a story of struggling with love to ultimately, discovering her fallen angel. This song is familiar territory for Cole, as her voice conveys that honesty we’ve grown accustomed to throughout her career. This song definitely sparkles here. “Tired Of Doing Me” features crooner Tank in which both parties are looking for love and ser so desirous of romance, that they will sacrifice their selfish needs. “If I Fall In Love Again” features 90’s songstress Faith Evans and happens to be a complete misfit within the whole album. With a heavy instrumental sample from Biggie’s “Warning” and lyrical content from Shai’s “If I Ever Fall In Love Again,” the whole song sounds like an illegitimate child that has been banished from the musical borders of Hip-Hop and R&B. Despite Faith’s commanding appearance on the song, she does nothing to uplift the song in any manner. “So Impossible” is very repetitive and seems to drag on forever. The lyrics in this song are very inexplicable and leaves the listener in a ambiguous manner trying to decipher the true meaning of what she’s attempting to convey.

“Sometimes” is a slow, gentle track constructed with strings and guitar arpeggios that speaks about reflection and having an outer body experience. Hip-Hop and R&B producers and part time rappers, Murder Inc’s CEO Irv Gotti and affiliate Chink Santana team up to concoct a light, radio friendly hit “Take Me Away,” where Keyshia solidly coos gleefully about finding her baby-boo and playfully instructs him to whisk her away, like Prince Charming did his Cinderella, resulting a happily ever after. Rapper/producer Chink Santana, who has graced numerous hits with and by Ashanti and others on the Inc’s roster, flexes his R&B-Soul musical cruxes on the jazz like “What You Do To Me,” where Cole sings in a hush tone that slowly builds to a gorgeous yet pillowy melancholy of love. “Last Hangover” is produced by Timbaland and features his signature futuristic Hip-Pop sounds and finds a frustrated Keyshia turning to alcohol to clam her in an unsettling relationship.

“Thank You” is a refreshing acoustic experience that features Keyshia’s adoptive mother Yvonne Cole singing background vocals on this spiritual song of appreciation. Cole’s vocals remain grounded without the extra gymnastics she attempts to do on all her other songs. “Better Me” is written by the legendary Diane Warren, and of course, would be the syrupy sweetness of the bunch. But, no matter how cliché or corny the song is, it works because it strives toward perfection, thus closing the album.

The Bonus Tracks: “Two Sides to Every Story” embarks on a journey on finding the truth of a broken relationship. The production here is pretty solid. “Where Would We” is just like “Just Like You,” perhaps a bit more moodier and more complex as Cole revisits her childhood struggle.

Conclusion

As many may say, if Mary J were to ever retire the throne of Queen of Hip-Hop and R&B-Soul, Keyshia would be in the running to collect the crown. Even though their passionate pains run in parallels of the soulful sirens, Cole’s pains stem from childhood neglect and a marathon of heartbreak. Mary J. Blige’s pain stemmed from sexual abuse that eventually led to heavy drug and alcohol abuse and a series of unromantic affairs. Both have found success and changed for the better. The difference with Keyshia is she skipped the many radio hits and years of turbulence that Mary endured. Sometimes, history doesn’t have to repeat itself. Conclusively, I appreciate Cole’s effort to changing the material in order to feed her artistry. On this record, Calling All Hearts contains some love in a mist lyrics alongside songs of reflection that goes against a gloomy production and sometimes, an upbeat sound. However, Keyshia neglects to create a solid lyrical content which often takes away points from the formula, no matter how great the production is. But, most Keyshia Cole fans are to overlook the “minor” lyrical mishap anyway. I guess it because Cole’s lyrics speaks largely to the bewildered hearts in the universe. Calling All Hearts is a bittersweet project; bitter because it offers very obscure lyrics, sweet because Keyshia Cole is evolved, a more positive person who’s reaching out to all the hearts she’s touched within her career. Growth is key in Calling All Hearts. And that’s something you just can’t deny.

Calling All Hearts Album Review, Part 1

Overview

I use to have a bone to pick with Keyshia Cole. And with this latest release, Calling All Hearts, I find myself picking up the pieces of a difficult musical romance with old scars in tender places. I’ve written an article about Keyshia’s about my personal displeasures with her unflinching and raw attitude in regards to love, life, family and music. Back in 2005, Keyshia Cole, under the guidance of A&M Label executive Ron Fair (who know helms at Geffen Records, a subsidiary label of Interscope), was thrusted into the national spotlight with her boldly titled debut, The Way It Is. Gritty, sassy smart, and unapologetic, Keyshia roared volumes to the world by serving as the main voice of avenging bachelorettes for lovelorn women all over. She bogarted herself through the industry doors and made it okay to be bitter about a nasty relationship. Cole’s voice was a reminiscent version of Mary J. Blige, a soulful grit with vocal intensity, left vulnerable, and unrefined. 2007 hit her Just Like You era, where Cole tried to move away from that roughened image of a girl who’s suffered all her life to a more relatable personality. The musical distance on Just Like Youwas a bit more smoother and less aggressive. But, her voice still remained a challenge—-there was still some after burn from venting as Keyshia tapped into the pain from her past with songs that are emotionally admirable. At that point, Keyshia Cole was progressing: vocally, musically, and personally. Hence, A Different Me. Lyrically, A Different Me explored the upside of relationships—-being giddy in love, dedicated and ready for something romantically serious. That girl from around the way, the girl you thought you knew, was on to something better. Keyshia’s longing soprano even grew noticeably different—-no more rough singing or blaring out the notes from the depts of her tainted spirit. She took more control as a vocalist by stifling her voice, and even takes her sweet time to build a major climax. Even when she’s muted, Cole’s voice can sell the ups and downs of emotion. The rose stuck in the concrete had finally blossomed into a daisy. Still blunt, resistant and sweet, Keyshia’s personality and romantic philosophy has completely changed. With Calling All Hearts, everything has come full circle. With a new love, a precious baby boy, and a more vibrant outlook on life, Keyshia Cole delivers a turning point and that is en-route with all her imperfections shadowing along her side.

No Boys Allowed Album Review

Intro: After listening to Keri Hilson protest about female empowerment during the heavy promotional train that makes up her No Boys Allowed, I decided go undercover: I tucked my penis, put on my Wendy William’s wig by borrowing Rihanna’s flaming red hair and slip into my Dèreon freak ‘em dress to see what Ms. Keri, baby was talking about…

1. “Buyou (By You)” which features a solid rap verse from highly anticipated Roc-Nation rapper J. Cole, opens up the album with a New Orleans Creole/Martin Gras party feel. It’s a cute track. This is Keri Hilson’s version of TLC’s “No Scrubs” crashed into Destiny’s Child ”Bills, Bills, Bills”/”Independent Women” except with a more club friendly beat. In exchange for “can you pay my bills?” and “throw yo’ hands up at me,” Keri coos “I don’t need a broke boy tryna holla…all my girls, fly girls get money.” In a nutshell, it talks about owing ones on own property instead of being a moocher of a successful woman.

2. Next is the ice cream truck jingle “Pretty Girl Bop.” Containing a thumpy Hip-Hop bass line that goes against a bouncy R&B production, the hook to the song is just utterly infectious yet tirelessly repetitive. However, I would take this over that screechy mess that makes up “Breaking Point” (we’ll get to that later…). The lyrical concept speaks of a boast personality, one that is very vain and silly. The visual is even more confusing as Hilson iminates or pays homages to past acts who have paved the way for her current success. *blinks aimlessly*

3. The controversial “The Way You Love Me” has to be the most annoying song I’ve ever hear (see the coochie poppin’ and a room full of D-Listers tryna revive their appearances here: http://youtu.be/SUAl1H9_-G0). It’s loud and rambunctious and it seems to me as Keri tried to do too much with voice, like she’s trying to over sing on the production. Rick Ross’s little verse doesn’t add anything to redeem this song; he coulda kept those whack ass lyrics under his titty meat. Overall, if you want to get mad and throw dishes, listen to this because it sounds dangerously close to Bey-Jesus’s “Ring The Alarm.”

4. To redeem herself for that mosh pit mess in the making, “Bahm, Bahm *pronounced “Bam” with a Jamaican accent* (Do It Once Again)” winds things down with its reggae ton beat. Keri manages to keep her squawky voice grounded which works in her favor. I really, really love this song. I often find myself gettin’ my Sharika on (hip roll, belly waving and booty poppin’). Without skipping a beat, the track ends with a hidden interlude entitled “I Want You.” I really like interludes especially if they’re musically inclined, but if it’s just a skit where the artist tends to blab about nothing, I tend to press the NEXT button within the first 3 seconds. The key to a great interlude is to keep everything musically copacetic without ruining the mood. Hilson does just that as a perfect segue to carry the listener over to her musical Casanova, Hits Brown.

5. “One Night Stand” finds Keri Hilson intertwined in a musical rendezvous with Chris Brown as they take their “Superhuman” relationship a little further. I love to hear these two collaborate on any song, be it a romantic ballad or a sensual baby making music like this joint right here. This song just sends me over…Hdydkcrjjoecftb gbvphdeycbjs yfsqy Ty yinvsdddrtv<——See, what I mean? SMH!

6. “Loose Control” features Nelly and honestly, in terms of melodic production, reminds me of a alternative version to Rihanna’s current chart topper “What’s My Name?” Even with their similarities, Keri ultimately slays and gets points for lyrical comprehensiveness because Lawd knows I have no idea what Rihanna is trying convey in the inconceivable “What’s My Name?”. Sorry, Rihanna. *hands back red wig…puts blonde wig on*

7. After shaking, winding and loosing control, all hearts are quickly stirred in the direction of heartache with the dispiriting interlude “Let Me Down” that marches us into the militant love story, “Toy Solider.” “Toy Solider” embarks on a emotional trail of finding out that your significant other’s true feelings of high hopes and love is nothing more than just mere child’s play; hence, a love based on plastic and rubber will not endure much damage without cracking. This song is by far the diamond on No Boys Allowed, especially for it to be a ballad. Because not too many ballads can resonate with people by conveying true emotion.

8. The reminiscent doo-wop “Breaking Point” had women claiming a newfound sense of anti-tolerance and taking to Facebook and Twitter about how their “love has a limit” and how they’re about to reach a breaking point in their lives. Bitch, please. Who are you trying to fool? *in my Sasha Fierce British accent* Love knows no bounds. This song had me rolling my eyes. And not to mention the vocal delivery, it was unbearable. Keri sounded like someone had her in a chokehold while she tried to sing out every line with each passing breathe she was getting deprived from. Whatever record executive approved this song to be the lead single deserves to be fired. “Breaking Point” should have never been released as the lead single, if a single at all. It should been a throwaway. I can’t…

9. Onto “Beautiful Mistake.” This song should have been entitled “It Is What It Is (Foolery Mistake),” let’s just call it what it is, Ms. Keri, no shade. This song is a flyin’ fool. The lyrics are romantically lukewarm, as she sings about overstaying in a sexual tryst. Timbaland’s techno pop production is just too gummy for my liking and doesn’t inject that Hip-Hop flava that he adds to all his songs. Need I say more about that little lyrical injection she sampled by “Reunited And It Feel So Good.” Girl…!

10. “Gimme What I Want” is Timbaland’s best mixture of Hip-Hop Techno Pop elements. In this song, Hilson develops a take charge attitude and directs any man who wants her to give her desires.

11. “All The Boys” is the final track to a jungle hood experience as it concludes the album with a sweet kiss off of “Killa Keri’s” final days as a bachelorette. With a minty vocal delivery, the love stunned beauty recounts her past mishaps and ultimately ends up discovering true love. Another great contemporary love song.

12. The remix to “Pretty Girl Rock” doesn’t do anything but carry the repetitive lyrics and success of the original song to the remix.Kooky Kanye is featured, but he doesn’t add anything special.

13. Unless you copped the deluxe edition of No Boys Allowed, “Hustler” and “So Good” are other two good songs you should check out. “Lie To Me,” “It Won’t Be Long,” “Fearless,” and “Pass Me By” are nothing more than Timbaland’s futuristic Hip Pop production which really doesn’t gel with the rest of the album and falter.

Conclusion: After making mental comparisons with past women of the industry who once challenged men to stand up and create self improvements while boldly motivating women to possess their uniqueness and independence (Chaka Khan, TLC, Lauryn Hill, Destiny’s Child, Christina Aguilera…), Keri Hilson’s work here isn’t anything revolutionary. Sure there are some radio friendly tracks that will appease the fans, but there’s nothing substantial. “Toy Solider” and “All The Boys” prove to be diamonds in the rough, but the rest of the material just doesn’t gel with the overall theme of feminism and empowerment. No Boys Allowed is subtly inspiring. Though Ms. Hilson preaches about knowing your limit when you’re in love and regaining your identity after a controlling or worthless relationship, there’s no evidence about owning yourself. And for an album title so bold faced, how come did over 5 guys come over to play in Keri baby’s playpen? Whore! :-3

My Picks (Check ‘Em Out): “Buyou,” “Bahm, Bahm (Do It Once Again),” “One Night Stand,” “Loose Control,” “Toy Solider,” “Gimme What I Want,” “All The Boys,” and “Hustler.”

Skip It (Bafoolery): “The Way You Love Me,” “Pretty Girl Rock,” “Breaking Point,” and “Beautiful Mistake,”

Born This Way Song Review

I believe that Lady Gaga is nothing more than a retro 80s revival of Madonna, blended in with Cindy Lauper. I can’t say that nothing about her is too original because we’ve all been inspired by something at one point or another and creativity is not something that can be patented. So, I have no other choice but to respect the hustle. Someone with an estimated fifteen million albums sold and fifty-one million singles downloaded worldwide just from their debut album should not go unnoticed. Even with the lead single of the same name, Born This Way receiving a lukewarm response to critics and fans alike, theHouse Of Gaga and its continent of little monsters prove others wrong by spiking up the song straight to number one on iTunes within four hours of its release. The monstrous machine known as Mother Gaga is at it again. With celebrity endorsements by the legendary Elton John who stated that Gaga’s new song will “obliterate ‘I Will Survive‘,” and pop cesspool blogger, Perez Hilton who said to MTV News “it’s an anthem for a new generation/a very gay song — unapologetically gay, in-your-face…”, they’ve only managed to continue the hype of the song. With the thumping techno beat and the striking similarity to pop icon Madonna’s “Express Yourself,” the song hit the web earlier today. Highly anticipated, Born This Way was supported by a viral countdown on Twitter by Gaga‘s command (#BornThisWayFriday), who released a trailblazing list of lyrical scriptures and pictures as “gifts” to her little monsters. Without a doubt, Lady Gaga has arisen in the last 4 years to become one of the most prominent musical entertainers to give a voice to those who are creatively, physically and emotionally misunderstood. And “Born This Way” reflects that social rejection: a sentimental anthem who’s objective is to uplift your esteem while simultaneously encouraging you to embracing your imperfections. It’s message screams charge the world head on, as you are. And unfortunately, while Born This Way may not move me like her previous hits, Gaga and her army of stans persist to slays the haters, convert the nonbelievers, and revolutionize pop music once more. The album Born This Way is slated for a spring release on May 23rd, 2011. Little monsters, put your paws up! Are you ready?

A Letter to Dawn Richard: The Future of Danity Kane

(Originally written on December 11th, 2009 on 1:13pm)

Hey, Dawn, it's ya boy Kahari (pronounced Ka-Har-Ree), and I just wanna drop a few words of encouragement. I've recently watched the third episode of Making the Band in where you and Aundrea try to persuade Shannon to reunite with the group, but to all avail, it fails. I sense your concern about the future of the group and I can feel your hunger and passion as you try to contribute different ideas to reunite and patch up old wounds of Danity Kane's inner personal issues. I, too, am a aspiring singer and a fan, and it pains me to see you be the only one fight for the dream and pursue the vision of the pieces of Danity Kane. I literally shedded a few tears last night watching the re-run episode (I was late! I've been on the grind stressin' about auditioning for Puff and finding another retail job) as I seen the downgrade of Danity Kane and what it has become. I have faith in Puff as he chooses to continue on with Danity Kane whether it's a twosome, trio, or an actual collective group. If things does dismantle with Danity Kane completely, then I'll predict that you'll be just fine (like Mary J.!); Puff will take care of you. You have that drive and ambition one must require in order to succeed in this dog-eat-dog business; a fire within your spirit and Puff notices that. On the other hand, I'm worried about Drea as she doesn't seem to stand behind the decision of inviting a new member in and moving forward or reaching out and communicating with the former members of the group. Personally, coming from a spectators view looking in, I see her as being a negative role at this point because of her blithesome and indifferent attitude acquainted with the situation. I predict Puff will eventually drop her from the label as she becomes nothing more than just dead weight. I apologize if this seems offensive to you about your band mate, but I just hate to see her act as if nothing needs to be corrected as she only reaches out to Shannon and not the other members of the group. She chooses to remain divided and that's where the problems are at. Despite how she feels about Aubrey and Wanita, she should want to make it work. As for Shannon, I don't blame her for leaving as she doesn't feel the complete security of the group with the departure of the two other girls, not to mention the financial aspect of the situation... as the status of Danity Kane remains murky, whatever may happen, I wish you the best of success in your future endeavors and advise you to "Sleep On It" and pray! Sincerely Yours, Kahari K.!