Brandy returns after an eight-year hiatus with “B7.”
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TOP 5
5. BABY MAMA
I never would have thought of putting Chance the Rapper and Brandy on the same song, just because their styles are so different. On “Baby Mama,” their styles work really well together!
“Baby Mama” is one of the dopest baby mama anthems of all-time!
4. RATHER BE ME
The rawness of “Rather Be Me” is what resonates with me. (Being vulnerable with another person is a very difficult task)
On “Rather Be Me,” Brandy is not trying to play games or make things overly complicated with her lover; instead, she lets him know exactly what she wants and how she feels.
“Rather Be Me” is a nice love song; however, unlike other love songs, Brandy doesn’t try too hard on it.
3. NO TOMORROW
“No Tomorrow” is one of the most dynamic songs on B7.
“No Tomorrow” is similar to the other songs on B7, but at the same time, it has its own unique flair. The snaps in the background give it that extra oomph, so when it comes on, your ears will perk up.
2. SAY SOMETHING
Simply put, “Say Something” is a hit!
A majority of the songs on B7 are slow and soft, but “Say Something” comes out of nowhere with a bang! The song still features slow and soft elements, but they don’t dominate the song.
I started bopping my head and singing at the top of my lungs when “Say Something” came on!
1. I AM MORE
Brandy is a badass on “I Am More!”
Out of all the songs on B7, “I Am More” stands out the most, to me. It has a strong guitar and drum presence, and it leans more towards rock than any other genre. Brandy kills it on the song, further demonstrating that she is a true talent that cannot be put in a box. Additionally, Brandy lets us know in the song that she is that b*tch! (What more could we ask for from her?)
SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN
1. SAVING ALL MY LOVE (3/5)
2. UNCONDITIONAL OCEANS (3/5)
3. RATHER BE (4/5)
4. ALL MY LIFE PT. 1 (3/5)
5. LUCID DREAMS (3/5)
6. BORDERLINE (3/5)
7. NO TOMORROW (3/5)
8. SAY SOMETHING (4/5)
9. ALL MY LIFE PT. 2 (3/5)
10. I AM MORE (5/5)
11. HIGH HEELS (4/5)
12. BABY MAMA (4/5)
13. ALL MY LIFE PT. 3 (3/5)
14. LOVE AGAIN (3/5)
15. BYE BIPOLAR (3/5)
OVERALL RATING
(B)
After eight years of almost no music from Brandy, she showed up and proved why she is still an R&B star! If there is anything to take away from B7, it’s that she has serious staying power; something not a lot of artists have.
I do not like slow songs. I feel like they drag on for a really long time. As I’ve said earlier in this post, B7 is full of slow songs. The first time I listened to the album, I didn’t really enjoy it, but the more I listened to it, the more it grew on me. I wouldn’t say that B7 is an album I would listen to straight through again, but there are definitely a lot of songs on it that I’ve added to my playlists.
One of the most surprising and enjoyable aspects of B7 is the features. Hearing Chance the Rapper on the album blew my mind, in addition to Daniel Cesar who I have not heard anything from since he was “canceled” because of his Instagram comments around a year ago. I’m happy to say that I enjoyed both “Baby Mama” and “Love Again.” Also, on the album, Brandy’s daughter, Sy’Rai, made an appearance on “High Heels” — it was just too cute to handle a mother and daughter track for me.
Brandy fan or not; lover of slow songs or not — you will be able to find at least one song on B7 that you’ll love. Try to prove me wrong!
Saschael is a Brooklyn native, and currently a senior English major at Howard University. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, baking, being in nature and writing short stories and novels.
This Post Has 4 Comments
All the ratings you gave were really low. Surprised you gave this album a B instead of a D. How does this system work.
I agree. I don’t want to speak for the person who wrote the post, but i will say this: it’s always tricky when it comes to getting an overall rating. Though you may not necessarily like each song all that much on an album, how the album flows, how the album feels, the album’s purpose, and the album’s creativeness usually get taken into account also.
3/5 in each song? I don’t really know how that correlates to a B, like at all….
Our teachers curved our tests in college ?
In all seriousness, it seems as though the writer does not personally like the songs as much (She says in the article that she isn’t a fan of slow songs), but at least appreciates them. The scores seems like her personal opinion. I usually try to give a grade that aligns closer to the song by song breakdown, but it seems as though she thinks the album is good but songs aren’t exactly her cup of tea.