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| Chris Brown |
by Rebecca Lattanzio
F.A.M.E. stands for “ forgiving all my enemies” and “fans are my everything” according to the R&B superstar, Chris Brown, who just released his fourth studio album since coming on to the scene in 2005. Brown’s latest is by far the most diverse of his albums, squeezing hip-hop, dance, and R&B all into the slightly too-long 17 track LP. Some of the greatest successes from the album come from the heartthrob’s crooning songs that stick to the strictly R&B sound that made him famous, like “Beg for it” and “No B******t,” a track pulled off his mixtape, “Fan of a Fan” with Young Money rapper Tyga, that was released in 2010. “No B******t” and “Deuces,” which was also released on the 2010 mixtape, seem almost ancient and overplayed by now, but the tracks actually make it on the list as some of the best songs on F.A.M.E.
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Brown’s attempts to keep his love for hip-hop are present in songs like “Look at me now,” a collab with Busta Rhymes, and Lil Wayne, and “Love Them Girls” which features Cali rapper, Game. Brown proved in the mixtape world that he has some talent in the rapping department, but, as with many artists before him, the risk of spitting next to hip-hop heavyweights leaves Brown looking overshadowed and dwarfed. The better mixes of genres on this album come when he leaves the rap breaks to his peers in songs like “Wet the Bed” with Ludacris and “Paper, Scissors, Rock” featuring veteran Timbaland and talented newcomer, Big Sean.
Then there are the dance/pop/club songs like “Yeah 3X,” which was the album’s lead single, and “Beautiful People,” a fresh sounding track featuring Benny Benassi. The 21-year-old singer unsurprisingly does a good job at making feel good party hits, it seems to come pretty easy to him so no doubt we will see more of this kind from him in the future. Then there are a few tracks like “Should’ve Kissed You” and “Say It With Me” that sound like filler songs that could have been left on previous less-mature CDs.
The latest single, “She Ain’t You” is a clever sample of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” and is sure to be another radio favorite, as will the tween-targeted song with Justin Bieber “Next 2 You” that reeks of sap and simplicity. All in all, F.A.M.E. ends up being a strange mix of hit or miss tracks, but Brown is definitely growing up and with a little better track selection, F.A.M.E. could be promising. The album’s second part “Fortune” is said to be released in six more months, but first Brown begins touring in Australia in late April.
Click to download F.A.M.E. on iTunes and Amazon
Check out the video "Look At Me Now" feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes
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