Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

Keyshia Cole’s first album is really quite superb. She is a vocal powerhouse and the lyrics are really good. The first few songs are great; starting with “(I Just Want It) To Be Over” all the way to “Love”. The latter being a beautiful ballad. The production is decent but it could have been better. “Down and Dirty” is another highlight…as is the album closer “Never”. I like most of these songs, and its aged well. Even though she’d top this album with her 2 nd album, this is a gem in Keyshia’s discography. Lyrics 25 Beats 19 Depth 23 Tilt 24 Verdict 91

  - Usher returns to his old style with R v R, which is a very good album. The album’s first half is its better half, but you can’t help but feel the album runs a tad bit long. I think Foolin Around is too sappy, and does nothing but sound like a very watered down Confessions song. With that aside, this album has Usher returning to the types of songs that made him popular in the first place. Lil Freak with Nicki Minaj is excellent, as is OMG with will.i.am. Some really effective Slow songs are Mars vs. Venus and There Goes my Baby. Overall I was very impressed with the album, even though its not as original as Confessions. However this album beats Here I Stand, and thus it’s a progression. Lyrics 23 Beats 22 Depth 23 Tilt 21 Verdict 89 This is actually an old review I had in the vault. I will review Usher's 2024 album at some point. Also this is my 900th blog post. Let's get it!