I just heard a live performance from Keyshia Cole. She's pretty much unknown on this side of the Atlantic so it's the first time I've heard her. The song was shit, but I have to say the girl can SING!! Unlike so many of her peers it wasn't forced (Beyonce, Alicia Keys), there were no duff notes (Mary J. Blige), and she didn't sound like she was trying too hard (all of the above plus Joss Stone). Most importantly, she had genuine soul. Real soul, not the fake shit that's contaminating the scene now (Leona Lewis). She's definitely the best mainstream female vocalist I've heard since Faith Evans. Now, if only she'd stop singing those whiny songs she'd be great.

midnightmover said:

i couldn't have said that better myself. my sentiments exactly. this album has been out for a while now right? and it's her 2nd? i wonder if it's worth listening to.

StarCat said:

I don't know anything about her, but after stumbling on that one clip, I just checked out a few of her other songs on Youtube, and I won't be buying any of her stuff. It sounds like she writes her own material, and it's all depressing stuff droning on about some man who did her wrong. The production is generic and her melodies are predictable, but her voice is great on every track.

It's also interesting to note that she sounds exactly the same live as she does on record. That should be taken for granted, but sadly it's a rarity nowadays. Anyway, her voice is great. I love her now just for her voice alone, lol.
[Edited 5/17/08 8:43am]

I slept on her first record because everything that i heard was generic. Her new record is actually pretty good and she has grown so much as a vocalist. This song below is so damn good. Great melody! seriously check it out.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TF-cun--fvI
[Edited 5/17/08 8:51am]

larksanders said:

Me too. I haven't purchased the new cd, but I did download it. I was pleasantly surprised. I think that the record company saw how marketable she was with her reality show on BET and the fact that "Love" did so well on her first album.

The ballads on the new cd are excellent. I really like "Heaven Sent" and "I Remember".

Is it me, or are they trying to make her the new Mary J. Blige?

That. chick. can. not. sing. at. all.

Dance said:

I never did say she could. I said the material was good.

That's why I think they are making her a younger MJB. Hell, on Mary's first 5 albums, she sang so off key it wasn't funny. Did you ever hear the live album? OMG!!

As for Keyshia, she sounds the same live and on record (and that's not a compliment). I still like her ballads on the new album and liked Let It Go.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...BwfPEyhgyI
Sort of a pretty song till she starts in on the "fou-oooouwww-ooowww-ooooouu-ooound" nonsense.

RipHer2Shreds said:

I love it.

she tends to be tone-deaf live, but i enjoy her singing. she's got fire.

daPrettyman said:

They are and they need to stop, lol.

RipHer2Shreds said:

thats pretty

Brownsugar said:

I like that hairstyle too.

Brownsugar said:

I didn't see the quote in between "I like that hairstyle too," and the author of the quote, so it looked like the hairstyle comment was attributed to Maya Angelou.

I honestly have no idea what people are talking about when they say she can't sing. Are you guys so full of hate for the younger generation that your brain won't accept what your ears are telling you? Her voice is loaded with soul.

As for her being tone deaf, I just watched several songs from her VH1 Unplugged concert and she was perfectly in tune all the way through, which is a lot more than I can say for her idol Mary J Blige. Transpose this girl to a Muscle Shoals studio in 1969 and the same mofos who are saying she can't sing would be saying what a diamond she was and how today's singers can't compare.

daPrettyman said:

The vibe I got was that the Mary J angle was probably coming from Keyshia herself rather than the record company. She's obviously a fan, but she's actually a FAR BETTER singer than Mary.

heaven sent is BEAUTIFUL!!!