So many disagreements can occur between an artist and their record label making the release of an album almost difficult to achieve. MONICA is one of many artists putting out new music this year that have been out of the limelight for a long time...and while we all wait in anticipation for what she's about to reveal...some people may be disappointed...and some may not even remember who she is.
After having recorded countless songs for the album in the length of two years, Still Standing is complete after MONICA took a hiatus from the industry for four years. What I hear people say is the most dissatisfying element of the album is the fact that it only contains ten songs...especially to those who adamantly followed the BET reality series Monica: Still Standing, which chronicled the making of the album itself. I truly enjoyed the album...and it is a definite return to what MONICA is originally known for. Some, however, believe that Still Standing sounds dated...that it's already been done. This album follows the pattern for the new wave of Contemporary R&B music...and I don't see anything wrong whatsoever. As a matter of fact, it might be her greatest effort since her 1998 album The Boy Is Mine.
Being in love makes a huge difference when I write these reviews...and that's what I immediately look for. Songs that are powerful and beautiful...a true testimony to the love that few people are lucky to ever experience. Towards the end of the album...the final three songs became my immediate favorites and perfect examples of what I'm trying convey. Superman, Love All Over Me, and Believing In Me have become some of my favorite songs ever from MONICA. Teaming up with producers like Missy Elliott, Jim Jonsin, Bryan Michael-Cox, Ne-Yo, and others really did make for a fresh sound for MONICA. Some of my other favorites include Mirror and If You Were My Man...as well as the original title track of the album entitled Lessons Learned which depicts a topic I have encountered one too many times before.
In the end, I would recommend getting Still Standing. MONICA still has a voice...and this album is a reminder of that. It may not be the "ghetto hood" sound of 2006's The Makings of Me ...but it is an album that took a lot of completion...and the result isn't near disappointing as everyone makes it out to be. Then again, that's just me...let's see what happens next week on the charts. I guess everyone's a critic in their own right, huh?
Songs I Enjoyed from Still Standing:
• Still Standing featuring Ludacris
• One In a Lifetime
• Stay Or Go
• Everything To Me
• If You Were My Man
• Mirror
• Here I Am
From MONICA's latest album "Still Standing", here's the song "Believing In Me..."
From the same album, here's the song "Love All Over Me..."
BONUS TRACKS
(Amazon.com)
• Lessons Learned
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED.
Written by Felix-Lee "Campbells" Andrades, III
No comments:
Post a Comment