To round our "Night + Day" album review series, I decided to save what I had to say for last. ( Follow us #TeamLKC at: @luvkcfansite and me, on my personal twitter: @cassiedash)
To view the first album review by #LKCTeamMember Cat click here.
To view the second album review by #LKCStreetTeam & KCStreetTeamMember Jane click here.
To view the third album review by #LKCTeamMember Albert click here.
Night & Day Album Review
(via @luvkcfansite)
Every former tween/teen artist has their “coming of age” album, this is Keshia Chante’s. The third album to be released from Canadian R&B songstress Keshia Chante on November 8th, 2011 comes right on time for 2012 Juno Awards nomination submission deadlines. After a nearly 5 year hiatus, Keshia is back and has something to say. The album itself, only released physically in Canada, her overseas and US fans took a hard blow and had to result to online means of purchase. However, lets get on to the review shall we?
* - Denotes a SINGLE WORTHY track
+ - Denotes KC wrote it.
1. Hotline 3:43*+
Produced by Vic Park
While a great album opener, I was actually expecting Set U Free to be the first track. To the average music listener in this present generation, the KC-penned track screams radio-friendly a lot more than the other opted, ‘Night’ single that was released. Lyrical content leaves a lot to be desired and thus ranking this right up there with cheesy pop songs like “Please Don’t Stop The Music” and to my trained musical ear, elements of ‘DJ’s Got Us Fallin’ In Love Again’. Keshia herself said that the premise of this song is “after the club, and getting ready to go…“ I could clearly see Keshia using her Pespi endorsement to make a Canadian commercial by remixing this song and the cross promo for it going well should they release this as a single, something to think about. *Single Worthy*(4/5)
2. Table Dancer - 3:12+
Produced by A1ex G & P1lzbury
1st Single. Granted that yes, this is Keshia’s highest selling single to date and yes, she wrote this also. However, in comparison with the power ballad ‘Test Drive’ when both released on the dual digital-45 a year ago I couldn’t for the life of me get into this song. Table Dancer is one of those songs that I actually have to be in the mood to listen to. As a long standing fan it seemed like she clearly abandoned her R&B roots for a radio-appealing dance track, which left me less than impressed. The accompanying video while nice, if one looks closely you can clearly see her discomfort and stiffness as if she herself was unsure about even doing the video. The lethargic dance moves don’t give it that added spice that the video needed either. (2.5/5)
3. Set U Free - 4:29
Produced by - Justin Forsely
2nd Single. Speaking of a seduction, chase & tease, yet another clubby record. Originally back in 2008 an album entitled 'Set Your Body Free' was released by Swedish pop singer/dancer Danny Saucedo. There was also a title track on this album entitled Set Your Body Free which, was on his album, but was NEVER released as a single. Ultimately, writer Taio Cruz offered the same song to Keshia Chante, and thus she recorded it. While it showcases her shift in vocal ability and learning to master control the accompanying video, well it’s slightly uncomfortable to watch. While clearly the best video thus far of this era the video was placed with several awkward shots and to be a “Night” single majority of the shots in the backdrop of the video were during the “Day”… Kinda defeats the purpose don’t ya think?
(3/5)
4. Edit, Cut, & Delete U - 3:13+
Produced by Justin Forsley
Keshia’s supposed current 4th single “Edit” (even though, it’s her #4 best selling single on I-Tunes) is another KC-penned track and the 4th single** to be released from her album that’s from the “Night” edition which Keshia clearly reiterated in interviews “Night” is dance and uptempo. She croons “Oh no who’s playin’ who now”, to a guy who wants to try and keep Keshia’s love on lock and slips in “This ain’t no b*tch you should be messin’ with…” to raised eyebrows. A sure track that doesn’t make or break the album, in fact I don’t even understand why it made the final Night & Day tracklisting. It’s the song that seems like “filler material". Thus, being classified as a predominantly R&B artist, why are all of her released singles dance? Let me know when you arrive to your conclusion on that theory.
5. Victorious* - 3:35+
Produced by Mark Cyrus
Positivist anthem. If there’s one thing you as a #KCRyder can count on with every Keshia Chante record, it’s a positivist anthem. KC-penned, I actually like the lyrical content because it sounds like there was thought put into it, allowing it to mesh well with the vocal production and the actually production itself. Clearly my only other favorite from this side of the album. Is it single worthy? Yes indeed, but I really am afraid for a video for it because I have a feeling it’ll be a ‘Shooting Star’ repeat…
(5/5)
6. I Hope U Cry - 3:59
Produced by JNew
There are just some songs that you don’t mess with because you’ll screw them up. Remember that hot mess of a colabo that Quincy Jones & Lionel Richie thought was great…? We Are The World 25? Yeah… Just like that ‘Cry’ shouldn’t have been touched. This is vintage KC, and the song itself leaked in 2009 around the time that Keshia was busy filming the TV series ‘SOUL’. The re-recording of the song starts off great, however it’s the over worked add libing screaming vocals towards the end that stretch Keshia to her limit as if she’s got something to prove. We already know she can sing, and she’s got an incredible range so thus, there was no reason for disrupting an already perfect finale.
(3/5)
7.Shooting Star - 3:40
Produced by Rob Wells
3rd single. KC takes a jab at her haters in the CLEAN album version of the song. (There was also a version with an alternate bridge that you can hear by clicking here.) This is the second positivist anthem that you’ll hear on Keshia’s new album. I was apposed to this song at first listen due to my annoyance of the fact that she continues to released dance single after dance single as if she’s trying to convert to dance and leave her R&B roots behind. And not only that, you get this anthem with a lackluster music video to boot. The video itself, couldn’t get any more low budgeted, thus there were many ways that they could have kept this concept and still made it more appealing to the eye. Look at Janet Jackson's "The Pleasure Principle" for example.
(2/5)
8. Hang My Jersey Up Ft. Preign* - 4:23+
Produced by VicPark
Keshia sings of being done with giving guys the run around as a certified player on this the eighth track of Night & Day. “You made my hang my jersey… put it up in the sky…” First off, no shade, no tea to Preign… but why isn’t Drake on this? Clearly Drake and Keshia would have had better chemistry on this record (YouTube: Fallen Ft. Drake) than she and Preign because his sixteen bars don’t add or leave much of an impacting mark on the track at all. Drop his vocals and the song would still be hot. This track is also penned by Keshia, and upon first listening to this song on April 21st, 2010 during KC’s first ever live Ustream her fans clearly told her that this would be an international hit. It clearly has that much potential to massive. This was originally supposed to be Keshia’s FIRST single, and was replaced with Table Dancer… yeah, trust me I’ve got my mellow face going right now too.
(5/5)
9. Pillow Talk - 5:27+
Produced by VicPark
“I’ve never felt a love like this, I never thought it could exist…” She sings, about finding a special someone who finds it difficult to open up, thus the metaphor of “Pillow Talk”. Vocally you can tell that Keshia’s grown by listening to this track but it pales in comparison to the other standout ballads on this album. Lyrically, she’s on point however the ending was entirely too long for my liking and it could have been marked at around four-minutes. Another track penned by Keshia as well.
(3/5)
10. I Miss U* - 3:13+
Produced by VicPark
As much traveling as one does be around the world, or around the city, Keshia sings about longing for that special someone when you can’t get to them and have to reassure them that as busy as you may be, you do indeed miss them. Another Keshia-penned track. Are you seeing a pattern here? I don’t know why but ‘I Miss U’ gives me a similar commercial-vibe like the opening track to this album. I could see the chorus itself being re-worked into a travel ad for Air Canada or something of that nature. I love the calming and alternative vibe that this song gives off and it’s clearly *single worthy*.
(4/5)
11. Hush* - 3:32
Produced by Craig McConnell & Chad Richardson
‘Hush’ gives me that eerie vibe that was cast on Leona Lewis’s ‘Bleeding Love’ meets Rihanna’s ‘Cry’. She’s clearly scorned here and her vocal delivery is enchanting, breathtakingly flawless and one of the most beautiful executions of control on her voice over her past recordings. “Your eyes they are saying everything, so baby you can keep it and just hush…” Clearly she comes to her senses here and realizes the relationship she’s singing about is dead in the water. This defiantly gets a lot of play on the I-Pod. *Single Worthy* (5/5)
12. Test Drive - 4:07+
Produced by VicPark
Viral single though? Yes, that was the same thing I said when it was announced as such. So, I reserved my excitement for the accompanying music video and was disappointed. It had no storyline and made zero sense and was clearly sporadic in nature. The song itself however makes up for how mind-bogglingly confusing the video was. Lyrically, having mastered her songwriting skills, Keshia penned and this song out of the park making this yet another greatly KC-penned track with production favorites, Vic Park.
(5/5)
13. If U Say* - 4:08+
Produced by VicPark
One of the BEST and most beautiful ballads I’ve ever heard KC record for an album hands down, my favorite track from “Day”, period. She speaks about how she’s given her man so many chances to get it right and he keeps on messing things up. “If you say you love me then just make it right…” The fact that Keshia wrote this beautiful work of art makes me appreciate her that much more as an artist. Ultimately she comes to her senses on this track as well, “You’re in the kitchen thinking where we wrong, I’m so gone…” If this isn’t a single WITH a decent video from Keshia, I’ll be highly upset and start a twitter petition with her label. *Single Worthy*
(5/5)
14. Ghost Love* - 3:33+
Produced by Rob Wells
“Feels like I’m way up past the clouds I’m being pulled to the other side, the other side…” The album closer and rightfully so. It makes me reluctant to turn the CD off because the song itself reeks of finality. This is by far my second favorite ballad on the album and you can tell the writing done by Keshia was meant to tell a story and I absolutely love, love, love songs that are descriptive and take me on journey! This is by far is classic KC, polished, perfected and presented to you on a silver platter with vocals that tickle your ear with the perfect essence of skillful production and harmony. *Single Worthy*
(5/5)
Overall:
The album isn’t a perfected piece of art, but it’s a solid effort. It has it’s high’s and lows and there are some tracks that I could have done without. “Edit” & “Pillow Talk” while nice could have been replaced with “Dead To Me” (click to listen) re-recorded and the album still would have flowed cohesively. I didn’t expect this to be a completely perfect album because after such a hiatus, Keshia still has to get a feel for the industry again, and find her nitch as an adult recording artist, verses being a teen recording artist. I feel like her 4th project will be a clear step up, and for someone who put started from scratch and re-worked it several times, Night & Day can be considered a solid body of work in it’s own way.
Total Album Rating: 7.5/10
Listen to: If U Say, Hang My Jersey Up Ft. Preign, Victorious, Ghost Love, Hotline
No comments:
Post a Comment