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.
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