Bria's album is the hotness...I wish Tamar couldve been released with 3121.

There are some things in Prince World that never let you down; sort of like a comforting consistency. A bad album from his latest passive female drone is certainly one of them, and Elixir proudly honours that tradition.

Bria simply does not have a distinguishable voice. At worst, she often tries to compensate for her lack of vocal power by singing in contrived sounding breathy whispers. If this was meant to be sexy, it failed rather spectacularly.

Too many of the songs also lack a real chorus. Merely repeating the title of a track ad nauseum to a standard R&B groove isn't very imaginative, and it's done all over this album.

Elixir is a caricature of R&B: bland, uncreative, and monotonous.

At least it came cheap.
[Edited 4/3/09 22:27pm]

PurpleKnight said:

Like Tori Amos? Ummm... sense when has breathy singing been a faux pas? Not everyone is born with a voice like Christina Aguilera. You make due with what voice God gave you. Hell if lack of vocal power were a big no no a good 80% of every rock star should never have put out an album.

worhol said:

that's ill

lezama said:

Like Tori Amos, Mariah Carey, and any other number of female artists I don't like. Bria in particular overdoes it.

What's her hook outside of being "The One" in a long line of "The One's"? She's pretty, kinda model-y which is very popular these days, she's Latina hot and spicy. Yeah, I'm sticking with my first impression, if you wanna screw her, or care that Prince wants to screw her then she's all amazing and sparkly. Me, I don't want to do her, I don't care that Prince wants to do her so to me she's pretty much one in dozens of others, with a pleasant female voice but completely unrelatable. Wish her a lot of luck in her career, this is a once in a life time opportunity hope she makes the best of it, ain't got nothing against her and all, but... Next!

I don't place much importance on this, but for the record, I think she's one of his least attractive protegees ever.

PurpleKnight said:

I completely agree with this. Now Tori Amos I like but lets not compare apples to oranges. Tori Amos WRITES, PLAYS, CREATES her own music and can sing live and not in just a breathy whisper. Mariah, whom is fuctwat, can also sing but scoots along in a damn whisper. She too writes her shit which is why its shit. Carey can sing, hit notes, but I think she's soul less too.

Christina Aguilera and Bria over do the growly sexy tone. Exception to Christina she can actually sing over the coos, growls etc, but again Soulless.

The white girl Tori got more soul than these other wheffas named. Truly.

The whole point is Bria is ok. Medicore as the Nicer critics put it and wouldnt be anywhere on the charts if she hadnt been included in a three pack. Most of us given the choice would not purchase it. Simple as that. Completists and Barneys would but from the snippet/previews it would be safe to say the majority would not.

Thats not saying Bria cant be successful on her own AFTER THIS, but the bitch is old by industry standards so Good luck.

PS She misprounounces seratonin. I wonder if she even knows what it is. Cus her album is full of it.

PurpleKnight said:

You need your eyes checked patna ,she is the hottest one to me and put out the best record of all his protoges to date. He knows how to upgrade ya'll. Tall and bodacious babe with a face of a goddess, prince is one lucky MF.

wunderlandmine said:

Hotter than Mayte? Insanity.

What is up with dudes lusting after a piece of ass that Prince is probably hitting? Some seem to get off on the idea of Prince being with hot chicks.

Weird.....

PurpleCharm said:

Strange, isn't it?

PurpleCharm said:

I can't figure out why people assume they are a couple.

Vendetta1 said:

I don't think they are a couple.
Just because she was with him at a
game people think they are together
and she must be his feature wife.
And some of you here said
when Prince is pictured at a game
with a woman that this can only mean
they are lovers.

[Edited 4/5/09 3:50am]

If it's been asked before, I apologize, didn't see it. But, is that her dancing on the Crimson & Clovers vid?

Bria's vocals on HOME & IMMERSION are best to me.
KEPT WOMAN just sucks for my taste, I'll hope to hear Tamar's 1 day, but I really don't like the song. All THIS LOVE is really listenable.
I'm still between real good and somehow embarrassing, if that makes any sense.
EVERYTIME, is nice, unexpected, but re-e-eally schmaltzy 'n elevator sounding. Thing is, her voice does some really good sounding things, then it'll b nasally, or reedy (whiny?)AND: "from the sto"! :::gulp:::...and "out the do"(door) cinches the deal. O how "hokey"! I don't believe a word she's (kinda) singin'.
Now IMMERSION feels like freeform Joni, it's different somehow, though-unique! I call this one the gem of the disc. HOME wants to be spectacular, but it falls off a cliff.
The "dirty 'ol man" really sounds great in duet with Bria on ELIXIR mostly because she's gingerly tiptoe-ing around HIS EXCELLENCY, who wouldn't? I'm not any expert, but what I'm hearing is a failure to really "anchor" the vocals..ground him, so to speak. If it weren't for the song's topic, ELIXIR could've been the chance of a lifetime duet with The Coolest Brotha of All Time.
The Naughty Sexual Innuendo thing, it's kinda iffy comin' from a woman, I guess.

Aw shoot, I gotta take back all the tacky stuff I said about Bria. I'm listening with new ears. Perspective is a trippy thing.

yeahsheis said:

Just watched, NO, it's not Bria posing as a "flamenco ballerina".

Shes an Aretha compared to
Apollonia, Cat, Carmen Electra, Tamar, Robin Power, Jevetta Steele, Susannah, Ingrid Chavez, Mayte

So there

wunderlandmine said:

Like PurpleKnight, this stuff is pretty insignificant to me as well. However, this post made me go ! Are you serious? Bria isn't unattractive by any stretch, but in the Prince girl hall of fame, I don't think she would get an honorable mention next to stunning women like Vanity, Sheila E., Nona Gaye, Susan Moonsie, Apollonia, or Troy Beyer. I was never a Mayte or Mani fan, but I think they are prettier than Bria, though Mani at times had the same "harshness" to her face that Bria does. The girl in TGRES video would retire Bria in the "hottness" category with the quickness. Even the girl P was fondling in the "Gangsta Glam" video was prettier than Bria IMO. Bria's more on par with Susannah to me, who I felt always took a back seat to the stunners.

Bria is a pretty, above average looking woman. However, without all the makeup and styling she might fall into the pretty, average category.

Also, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but the "best" protege record? I think I need for you to clarify the criteria you used to make that statement.

The best tracks on Bria's album to me are "Here Eye Come," "Elixer" (largely due to Prince's presence) and "Something U Already Know," which a better singer would have killed! The other stuff is rather boring, trite and generic. Vocally, Bria can hold a note, but that's about it. Her singing is very flat and uninspired. This is her first album, so hopefully she will improve. Although the other songs that I heard from her on imeem were pretty lame as well. Being a background (non-feature) video-girl in a third-rate rapper/singer's videos isn't the best training ground to becoming a great singer. She needs some more experience performing live and recording.

Finally, she just doesn't seem to have much personality. I have listened to her album a couple of times now. To me, "Elixer" doesn't hold a candle to any of Sheila's Prince-related releases, and I concede that Sheila is not a great singer either. However, her style and personality (not to mention talent) made her songs unique to her and quite enjoyable. Therefore, I cannot agree that she has the "best" protege album. She might have T.C. Ellis and a few others beat, but I cannot give her the "best" title.

bellanoche said:

You rang? You chicks are funny Bria is the hottness and Prince upgraded with her for real. She dont even have to show her Tits and Ass to be sexy. If Bria put on that one leg sexy suit Sheila wore, or the sexy longeray on Vanity and appolonia, every breathing man on earth would give their left nut to have one night with her WORD

Elixer is the best protoge album because its all about the music. Her vocal skills are better than all of em and her tone is like slow soft sex The instrumentation and lyrics are dope any way you cut it. Props to Prince for makin a well rounded, no pun intended, sexy protoge album. If you dont dig her or her music you dont dig Prince and you need to get laid on the regular and quit bitchin for real.

wunderlandmine said:

Prince told U that, didn't he?

wunderlandmine said:

Dying

Ok, I am convinced, you are beyond delusional, and you need to learn how to spell.

I think I've listened to Elixer twice as many times as I've listened to MPLSound or LotusFlow3r. It could just be that I'm just in a "chill" mood more often than im in rocker or going out to a party mode though...

i like 'elixer' best of the three new albums.

My review....hmmm...not bad at all...

My favs.....hmmm...Home, Elixer(of course), Another Boy, Immersion (its very soothing after a long day)

Overall.....hmmm...

stanleylieber said:

I'm feeling it all.... but yes elixer is very nice...

I just finished my first listen to this CD.

I went into this wanting to hate it but I gotta admit, this is a very nice CD. It has some really great tracks on it. That track Elixir is slammin and believe me it hurts me to say it cuz I wanted to hate it . I could only imagine what it really would have been like with Tamar's voice all over the tracks but hey, it is what it is. I like all the tracks except "Kept Woman".

Thumbs up from me.

PurpleCharm said:

I agree w/u except for 2nite. It's a little corny to me. Other than that ur review is pretty spot on. ESP about Sade singing sexually suggestive lyrics. Sex themed songs have become a bit redundant to me. There is Sooooo much more to life.