Still my favorite album of the past 2 years...why was ATLANTIC so fucking dumb in promoting this one??? It is AMAZING! Every track is soulful, polished, head and shoulders above the R&B crap in the top 40, elegant, often confessional, great beats, her voice has never sounded better.

My faves:
Afrodisiac
I Tried
Where U Wanna Be
Focus
Saddidy
Should I Go?

I hope the fact that this record bombed isn't the end of Brandy. It made the best of year-end lists all across the boards last december...anyone else feeling this one as much as me?

I have to cosign you on that! This is one of those that makes me wish everyone knew how good even great this CD is. Everybody I put on to it falls in love. I like to describe it as "dripping". My fav cut is Focus. As a matter of fact I'm going to put that in tomorrow on the way to work! Good post!

Love Ya'll

I STILL cant believe this album only sold under 500,000 copies - thats an injustice.

Too bad Brandy is generally thought of here as little besides the chick whose face resembles a horse's/fish's.
[Edited 7/28/05 21:36pm]

It's the only studio album I have by her and frankly it's more intersting than her greatest hits! A very good CD.

VinnyM27 said:

I would venture to say that this album and her debut were her strongest altogether. Supposedly now, she is still looking for a new label.

squiddyren said:

were you the one who made fun of the short/skinny/nerdy people in school?

MsLegs said:

Brandy has signed with her brother's label (forget what it's called). She will be recording in August with Rodney Jerkins.

VoicesCarry said:

Is it J Records?

MsLegs said:

Nope. Here, I found an article on it:

HOLLYWOOD — It isn't easy being celebrities spawned from the same family tree, but Brandy and brother Ray J have found strength in numbers and joined forces.

"Brandy and I are doing the whole label thing together right now
— it's going to be real explosive, so look out for it," Ray J, with Brandy in tow, told MTV News recently at the red-carpet premiere of the MTV film "Hustle & Flow."

The 24-year-old singer/actor launched his own record label, Knockout Entertainment, earlier this year and has signed his big sis, who left Atlantic Records in November after 11 years with the label (see "Another Breakup For Brandy: This Time It's Her Label"). "We're just getting her started right now," Ray said. "We just want to make her happy, make me happy, and keep it movin'."

Brandy said she will most likely hit the recording studio this summer with her old friend, beatmaker Rodney Jerkins, who helmed the singer's 1998 multiplatinum LP Never Say Never. "I'm probably going to get back in with Rodney and really map something out with him," she said. "But for now, I'm just warming up my voice and just getting my creative juices flowing."

Jerkins also executive produced Ray's upcoming LP, Raydiation, which is slated for release on September 20 and will feature tracks from Timbaland, Dark Child and R. Kelly, among others (see "R. Kelly, Timbaland Help Ray J Bring The Heat On Raydiation").

The young crooner has chosen the lovelorn ballad "One Wish" as the lead single from the LP, shelving prior plans to release the R. Kelly-helmed "Quit Actin' " (see "Brandy's Brother Ray J Tells Ladies To 'Quit Actin' ").

"[That song is] about to change my life," he said. "I'm really showing vocal ability from Ray J that people haven't really heard before, so it's gonna be real, something new, and something real positive."

Ray shot the track's music video, directed by Mr. X (Usher, R. Kelly), on July 16 in Los Angeles. "The concept is, it's raining and I'm looking for my girl and I got one wish to get back with her," he explained. "At the end, you will see if it really happens or not.

"It's gonna be real exotic, man. Just sexy," he continued. "It's showing sex appeal and [going] straight for the women."

— Brandee J. Tecson, with reporting by Corey Moss and Kelly Marino

VoicesCarry said:

VoicesCarry said:

Signed not only to an indie...but her brother's label. And Rodney Jerkins again? I think it's safe to say this is the end of her mainstrem career unless she and her people really know what they are doing.

Im sorry I dont agree. It couldve been a flawless album if it wasnt so thickly layered or sumthin...something wasnt there 4 me. If it was catchy hooks or chemistry between the beats and Brandy herself.

I LOOOOVE TIMBALAND. But her voice just didnt match up with his sound quite well.

badujunkie said:

I made a thread on this album last summer where I called it "one of the better R&B albums to come out in 2004."

It was an album very much in the background a lot of times. It felt overshadowed. Something didn't quite stick. It needed stronger lead singles to make a splash on the charts.

I still play songs from that disc occassionally. My friend STILL bumps the little CD I burned for him with "Sadiddy" on it.

My favorite tracks from it are:
Come As You Are
Say You Will
Necessary
How I Feel
Should I Go
Focus

MsLegs said:

Agreed. I loved that debut album. It was funky and sweet. I haven't gotten Afrodisiac yet though. From what y'all are saying though, I think I need to.

Actually, I loved some cuts on Never Say Never too. I'm happy to hear she is moving on to her brother's label. I hope positive things come out of it.
[Edited 7/29/05 7:26am]

Idais said:

Yeah the debut WAS FUNKY. On the real, it was on some funk. Listen to "Best Friend," "Baby" and "Movin' On." That was funk for the '90s. The producer must've been a funkateer.

JANFAN4L said:

Ummhmmm. Exactly. I know she used Soulshock & Karlin as well as some older producers and they hooked her up! I wish she had stayed as funky as she began.

Idais said:

I still play that debut more than most of the stuff she did with Rodney on those other 2 LPs.

Afrodisiac should have done way better but I wasn't feeling it the way I enjoyed Full Moon or even Never Say Never. Yeah and her first album was pretty on point too.

*plays "Baby"*

JackieBlue said:

What did you like about Full Moon?

VoicesCarry said:

That song never gets old.
Yay yay yay yay
Yay yay
Yay yay yay yay

And I Wanna Be Down remix is still hawt. One of my all time favorites.

JackieBlue said:

About yay short
about yay tall
about so big
about so small
about this length
about this width
about this flow
about this gift

::drum kick::

instincts leadin' me rite up ya alleyway
skip the moet let's chill wit' some alizé*!

:::continues rhyming::

From MTV News



Brandy to sign with brother's label

HOLLYWOOD — It isn't easy being celebrities spawned from the same family tree, but Brandy and brother Ray J have found strength in numbers and joined forces.

"Brandy and I are doing the whole label thing together right now
— it's going to be real explosive, so look out for it," Ray J, with Brandy in tow, told MTV News recently at the red-carpet premiere of the MTV film "Hustle & Flow."

The 24-year-old singer/actor launched his own record label, Knockout Entertainment, earlier this year and has signed his big sis, who left Atlantic Records in November after 11 years with the label (see "Another Breakup For Brandy: This Time It's Her Label"). "We're just getting her started right now," Ray said. "We just want to make her happy, make me happy, and keep it movin'."

Brandy said she will most likely hit the recording studio this summer with her old friend, beatmaker Rodney Jerkins, who helmed the singer's 1998 multiplatinum LP Never Say Never. "I'm probably going to get back in with Rodney and really map something out with him," she said. "But for now, I'm just warming up my voice and just getting my creative juices flowing."

Jerkins also executive produced Ray's upcoming LP, Raydiation, which is slated for release on September 20 and will feature tracks from Timbaland, Dark Child and R. Kelly, among others (see "R. Kelly, Timbaland Help Ray J Bring The Heat On Raydiation").

The young crooner has chosen the lovelorn ballad "One Wish" as the lead single from the LP, shelving prior plans to release the R. Kelly-helmed "Quit Actin' " (see "Brandy's Brother Ray J Tells Ladies To 'Quit Actin' ").

"[That song is] about to change my life," he said. "I'm really showing vocal ability from Ray J that people haven't really heard before, so it's gonna be real, something new, and something real positive."

Ray shot the track's music video, directed by Mr. X (Usher, R. Kelly), on July 16 in Los Angeles. "The concept is, it's raining and I'm looking for my girl and I got one wish to get back with her," he explained. "At the end, you will see if it really happens or not.

"It's gonna be real exotic, man. Just sexy," he continued. "It's showing sex appeal and [going] straight for the women."

— Brandee J. Tecson, with reporting by Corey Moss and Kelly Marino
http://www.mtv.com/news/a...lines=true
[/quote]

JANFAN4L said:

That was tha shit.

All time best Brandy tracks:

Afrodisiac
Where U Wanna Be
Focus
Saddidy
Full Moon
What About Us?
All in Me
He Is
Almost Doesn't Count
Baby
I Wanna Be Down
Sittin Up in My Room

Brandy is the JAM!

badujunkie said:

Wha? No.. before this thread, I just noticed that Brandy was hardly ever to never talked about except in humorous "separated at birth/pictoral comparisons" threads where everybody made fun of her face. Honestly, that didn't come from me.

JANFAN4L said:

[/quote]


Hmmm...Ray J overseeing Brandy's career; just years ago, it was almost the other way around but thats good though. If aint mistaken, I think Ray's label is independent. Damn...its ashame to see some of these former multiplatinum talented artists resorting to indie labels (like Montell Jordan and Jesse Powell). They might not sell as much but at least they make more $ from each copy sold, their more in control of their career and wont be pressured to make what today's generation consider a "hit".

Brandy reminds me of this black girl I use to out with. She loved brandy et all. All those "all men are dogs" "say it girlfriend" songs went to her head. I blame brandy. Her later music is filled with stupid man hatin' crap


I liked her first album though. Nothing special though