Love the title, but that's about it. 2 1/2 stars
Mikeisha Best | Mitchellville, Maryland United States | 12/24/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Mya has been in the music industry for quite some time, and she has many contemporaries who have much more popularity than her. I have theories as to why this is so. First of all, Mya's singing voice lacks personality. If an artist has an average voice, it is important for them to have creative material to include on their album to accentuate their voice, and to separate them from other artists. Mya has never been able to do that. All of her music is basic, typical R&B. "Moodring" furthers my point. This album is neither bad nor good, but it's swaying more so to the bad side. This album is inundated with R&B songs we have heard a million times prior to the release of this album. When track 17 finished playing, my mind quickly drifted on to something else. If you just finished listening to an album that has 17 tracks, there should be some remnant of that album in your mind somewhere. Such was not the case with me and "Moodring."
I love the title of the album, "Moodring." That one word says so much. So, when one thinks of a moodring, they often think of different feelings, different emotions. This album does have quite a few moods. There are also all tempos of music here: uptempos, midtempos and ballads. Which are the best? I'd say the midtempos. Mya doesn't have a strong voice, and personally, after awhile, it kind of irritates me for some reason. However, she does know her vocal boundary and she doesn't push herself vocally, and I commend her for that because so many artists don't do that.
"Fallen" is easily this album's best track. I enjoy this song with each listen. It was released and had moderate success. The video is also very cute. It's about being in love with a guy and not minding one bit. Part of the lyrics are "Fallen, head over heels I've fallen, and I can't get up, don't wanna get up, because of love." "Anatomy 101" is the second strongest track. Here, Mya sings in a very sexy voice and it's enjoyable to listen to because she doesn't sound half bad and the production and lyrics are also worth mentioning. Be mindful, Mya gets quite raunchy on the chorus of this song. The rest of this album is forgettable, to be blatant. "My Love is Like Whoa", "Take A Picture", "Free Falling" and "Things Come and Go" are all decent tracks, but simply lack creativity. Mya apparently isn't afraid of confrontation with others. Listen to "Whatever B****" and "Step" and you'll understand what I mean. Mya lets a female know that she will fight if anyone tried to talk to her man.
If you just MUST have a Mya album, "Fear of Flying" is better and more focused than "Moodring", so I would recommend that. Mya needs to step outside of the box she's in and try some new things if she wants to ever reach the success of her more popular contemporaries.
Mikeisha's Top 5
1. "Fallen"
2. "Anatomy 101"
3. "Take a Picture"
4. "Things Come and Go"
5. "Real Compared to What"
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