DEBORAH COX
"THE MORNING AFTER"
5/5

PROS:
Great uptempo grooves and ballads and like have you heard her sing?

CONS:
Some ballads are too short, they leave you wanting more. The dance remixes.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
One of the best R&B albums of the year. Buy this album.

FULL REVIEW:
I hope after this album Deborah Cox finally gets the respect and recognition she deserves. Speaking as somebody who is not a 'die hard' Deborah Cox fan [until today] and did not like her last album I tell you that "The Morning After" is more than worth your 16 bucks!

Now to the album:

-Up & Down [In & Out]

This infectious midtempo jam will set fire to your speakers as Deborah seductively makes peace with her lover right in time for a lovemaking session, illustrated by lyrics like "You know I'm in a sexy mood, so why you gotta act the fool tonight? You need to change your attitude, 'cause I ain't arguing with you, you're right". Simply, a hot song.

-2 Good To Be True

Oh my gosh! A Jermaine Dupree-produced track without him talking all the way through it! A rare moment and a good song.

-Play Your Part

WOW! I absolutely love this song. This one like others on this album have lush background vocals that will take you straight to church! This metaphoric song is like a continuation of the Deborah's duet with Whitney Houston, "Same Script, Different Cast". That metaphor is illustrated in the chorus that says "Can you pretend to be the man I should have been with? Can we fake the life I should have had? Can we do a better job of pretending that you really care? Or I have to give the part to someone else." Written and produced by Shep Crawford, [Tamia, Kelly Price, Whitney Houston, Shae Jones (he's the best!)], this is one of my favorites on the CD. I can't listen to this song without hitting the repeat button. I wish it weren't so short though, it fades out too too soon, as soon as you start really feeling the groove of it it's over. Thank God for that repeat button.

-Like I did

Produced by Rodney Jerkins, this song is eerily reminiscent of Brandy's "I Thought" from her "Full Moon" album. It's vintage Rodney Jerkins R&B electronica stuff. A hot song though.

-Hurt So Much

A beautiful ballad produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis [Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Chante Moore, Usher, Heather Headley, and just about every other R&B artist to sing for the last 20 years]. That's all that needs to be said, you know already that this is a great song.

-Just A Dance
featuring Kurupt

A flirty dance jam featuring west coast rapper, Kurupt.

-The Morning After

Another masterpiece! The title track to this album masterfully combines R&B, Soul, Jazz, & Gospel. This song is like a continuation of Shirley Murdock or Kelly Price's "As We Lay" or Mary J. Blige's "Seven Days", basically a story of friends becoming lovers after a night of... well, you know. Produced by Warryn Campbell [Mary Mary, Sisqo, Kelly Price, Brandy]. Another one that ends too soon.

-Givin' It Up

Another great one. This lil' gem is has a light, Jazzy, airy, Mellow smooth 80's skate rink vibe to it. The back-up vox remind me a lot of Ella Fitzgeraled. My FAVE!!!

-Up & Down [In & Out] [Allstar Remix]
featurng Jadakiss

A shorter version of the aforementioned version of this song featuring rap trio, the Lox's, Jadakiss. It has a slight deviation of the original beat but the original one seems to capture the mood of the song much better.

-Oh My Gosh

A pop infused playful club anthem, produced by Warryn Campbell. R&B-soul purists beware. A hot song though.

-Starting With You

Back to the church again! The background vocals on this woman-empowerment anthem are amazing! Another one of the best on the album, produced by none other than Shep Crawford. This also is another one that ends too too soon.

-Mr. Lonely [Hex/Mac Mix]
-Absolutely Not [Chanel Mix]

I've never been a big fan of the so called 'dance mix' and I know Deborah must love them [they were on the previous albums too] but I think it would have been wiser for the original R&B versions of these two songs to be put on the album along with the dance mixes. That way I wouldn't have had to search like a mad man to find the unreleased single with the original version of "Absolutely Not", which happens to be a great song.

In spite of all "The Morning After" is one of the best R&B albums released this year! You (need) this one in your CD collection.

Peace