Search - Brooke Valentine :: Chain Letter

Valentine's letter is quite the find...

Andrew Ellington | I'm kind of everywhere | 02/21/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One thing you must admit about Brooke Valentine is that she is creative. She doesn't just stick to the mainstream R&B or Pop clichés so rampant today but she actually takes chances in experimenting with different musical genres. You have a little 80's funk feel, some R&B crooning, some club (crunk) tracks and even some rock influences; all of which make a very well rounded and exciting album. Sure, she doesn't always hit her mark with flying colors, but for the most part she delivers.



Of course the album opens on a strong point with the club ready hit `Girlfight'. With the help of Big Boi and Lil' Jon Valentine is able to entrance the listener with this very engaging hip-hop track. Another track along these lines is the hypnotic `Ghetto Superstars', which is fun and energetic and sure to please her fans. She enlists the help of Jermaine Dupri on the club track `Playa' but they fail to really sell this one. It's not terrible, but it's not that promising either. Then of course we have the closing track `Whatcha Lookin' At' where Kilo and J.R.K. join Brooke in delivering an enthralling hip-hop laced track.



One genre I forgot to mention is reggae, but she goes there too. The track `Million Bucks' features a superb guest performance by Queenz Deliz who just sizzles. It's not my favorite track but I don't feel a need to skip it either.



One of my favorite tracks on the album; perhaps my favorite, is the bouncy number `Blah Blah Blah' featuring the late Dirt McGirt (aka ODB). The track is perfectly polished, energetic and compelling. You can't help but move along to the infectious beat and Brooke's vocals are superb. Dirt does a decent job with his part, even though I expected a little more from him. After listening to the track numerous (and I do me NUMEROUS times) I have come to appreciate what McGirt does here for what it is. The song is perfection.



There's a little 80's funk vibe that makes itself apparent on a few tracks here as well. Songs like `American Girl', `Pass Us By' and `Taste of Dis' come to life with brassy horns and drum machines galore. Some of these work better than others (`Taste of Dis') where some fail to really impress me (`American Girl').



Of course there has to be the classic Pop styled radio hits and she supplies those in aces. Tracks like `As Long As You Come Home' are phenomenal examples of how the perfect beat coupled with the perfect voice can instantly create the perfect mood. It reminds me of something you'd hear Toni Braxton attach her name to. My favorite would be `Tell Me Why You Don't Love Me' for it's just spectacularly constructed. Valentine is marvelous here. I love the breakdown at the end; the suppleness of Brooke's voice is enticing.



Then we have the R&B ballads that are essential to any `quote-unquote' R&B album, right? I will say that Brooke has a very nice voice, but she is no Christina Aguilera so don't expect to be blown away. Songs like `Laugh Till I Cry' could have been stronger if her voice was suited for the genre, but it's not. `Dying From A Broken Heart' works a little better than the others but I think that's mostly attributed to the sensual beat that laces the track. `Cover Girl' reminds me of something Carinne Bailey Rae would have done, just not as strong. It's a decent track, just not perfect. `I Want You Dead' shows Brooke's rock influence and it works very well. You can sense her anger and I just love the energy even if her vocals are weaker here than on any other track (mostly because she's not singing as much as talking loudly).



So, in the end `Chain Letter' is a nice debut album. It's been a while since this was released so I don't know what happened to Brooke, if she's working on something new to drop for us or if she's decided to leave her singing career behind. If she's gone for good that would be a real shame since she had a creativity that you don't find too often in the Pop genre. Hopefully she's not gone but working hard at something fresh and exciting to give her fans. This album is bursting with potential; let's hope she lives up to it.



*a note on this imported version: the two bonus tracks are a nice addition, but I don't know if they are worth the extra money. `Thrill of the Chase' is a decent track but nothing overwhelming and `Girlfight Part 2' is just that, a `part 2'...and the sequel is never as good as the original if you get my drift. If the price were closer to that of the original version is then I'd say go this route, but it's a drastic increase that I can't say is really worth it."

Not that bad, surprisingly

Bob Johnson | TN | 09/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You have to buy this version of the CD for the bonus track "thrill of the chase." It's one of her best songs; I can't believe that only consumers in Japan got it!!"