After being diagnosed in ’08 with microvascular angina, a heart-related illness, Toni Braxton says she “didn’t think I’d ever be able to do music again.” Fortunately, while undergoing cardiac rehabilitation, a conversation with an elderly patient who had survived four heart attacks motivated the six-time Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter to continue making music: “That’s when I found my pulse again,” she says. And today, she’s releasing her sixth album, aptly titled Pulse.
It’s been a long road since 2005′s Libra, filled with personal and professional roadblocks for Toni, but through it all she’s managed to endure. After she signed with Atlantic Records in 2008, Pulse was initially planned for release the following year, but the album found its way online and Toni returned to the studio to replace a few of the leaked tracks, including “I Hate Love”, “Clockwork”, “Melt” as well as a duet with Robin Thicke entitled “Don’t Leave”, and rework some of the others.
For his latest release singer/songwriter/producer PJ Morton takes us on a ride through familiar territory via a different musical road map. The New Orleans native is in pure form on “Walk Alone,” in which many of his tracks pull from his southern roots and church upbringing. Finding a careful mix between instrumentals generally commissioned for jazz and blues tracks Morton laces them with docile themes that keeps him teetering on the edge of his own interpretation of soul music that can’t be simply identified as merely one thing.
Much of “Walk Alone” is as easy breezy as it comes. On “Girlfriend” Morton ponders why previously uninterested women seem to be drawn to him now that he is very obviously taken. Although a simple concept the addition of guitar strings, and horns add to record’s the somewhat whimsical atmosphere. Another interesting pairing of seemingly unconventional instruments with a common subject matter is “She’s Gone.” Unlike tracks in which an artist would typically tend to slow down the music to match the heartache that comes with losing a love, Morton begins in slow motion before climaxing to a burst of heavy electric guitar chords directly contrasting the subject matter, which is intriguing if nothing else.
For his sixth studio album ‘Raymond vs. Raymond’ singer Usher Raymond decided to step into an entirely different realm than his most previous release and give listeners a taste of the classic approach they’ve grown accustomed to. On the midst of personal drama, ”Raymond vs. Raymond” could stand solely on anticipation of spilled details from his former relationship and answers to all of the rumors we’ve heard, but luckily the Atlanta native chose to bypass the easy route to put together a well thought out album.
Although every track isn’t a slam dunk, Usher definitely comes close with ear grabbing selections like the Will.I.Am produced “OMG” which is sure to be a mega club success, and the horn heavy “She Don’t Know” featuring Ludacris. Then there’s the guilty pleasure that is “Little Freak,” a track that in subject matter, could have come off as ubiquitous but works its way into a lane all its own with the assistance of Nicki Minaj who, for her offering, is as aggressive as Usher without missing a beat.
Singer Monica is back with her sixth album “Still Standing” proving that her time off has made her a stronger, more introspective artist.
Although the music veteran’s voice is just as vocally strapping as her self-titled debut over ten years ago, Monica’s growth and apparent wisdom has translated into a much more powerful, heartfelt delivery. Assembling the likes of song-writers Bryan Michael Cox, Missy Elliott and Jazmine Sullivan “Still Standing” is just the quality R&B we’ve grown to expect from her.
Following the highs and lows of relationships the album stands out as concrete effort in that Monica is confident enough in her sound not to stray too far from her comfort zone. Led by the single “Everything to Me,” the Atlanta native tries her hand at sampling Deniece Williams’ famously high-pitched single “Silly.” Although she never reaches Williams’ elevated octaves Monica provides a new spin on an old school classic. Unlike the original, which finds a heartbroken and disheveled woman realizing her stupidity at the hands of an uninterested lover, “Everything to Me” illustrates the happiness in finding true love. Songs following the same pattern include “Love All Over Me,” and “Superman.”
After being diagnosed in ’08 with microvascular angina, a heart-related illness, Toni Braxton says she “didn’t think I’d ever be able to do music again.” Fortunately, while undergoing cardiac rehabilitation, a conversation with an elderly patient who had survived four heart attacks motivated the six-time Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter to continue making music: “That’s when I found my pulse again,” she says. And today, she’s releasing her sixth album, aptly titled Pulse.
