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

  Bracket A   1)Beyonce’ vs. 9)Janelle Monae : While Queen B had it relatively easy in the first round this round should be a lot more competitive. Janelle is looking for an upset. Vocal Ability- I really feel Beyonce’ is a great singer but Janelle is just as good. 5-5 Albums- This is kinda tough to call but not really. It’s another tie due to Janelle having only classics, and Beyonce’ having classics to match. 5-5 Collaboration-  This round things look better in this category for B. She has had quite a bit more collabos. 7-3 Versatility- Janelle takes this category with a wide array of song styles. B is good here too tho. It’s a reasonable split. 4-6 Impact- This is closer than you might think. Both artists make some truly great music. Issa tie. 5-5 Comm. Success- This is where B tells you to “bow down b**ches” lol. It’s not a good look for Janelle here. 10-0   Beyonce’ wins 36 to 24.  Janelle was more competition for Queen B but ultimately she loses here prett...

Bracket C 2) Mariah Carey vs. 15)Kehlani:  We have a matchup between two very different artists. MC a legend vs. The still up and coming Kehlani. This could be interesting.  Vocal Ability- The Songstress Supreme wins this category but I like Kehlani’s edginess. 7-3 Albums- This is hard to call. All in all Kehlani has some good albums but Mariah has a lot more. I’m going to say what ive heard from Kehlani has been just about on par with the best of MC, plus Kehlani doesn’t have any duds yet. 5-5 Collaboration- This is where things are again hard to call. In her prime MC’s features were much sought after. Kehlani’s features are always pretty good too tho. Both artists are distinctive here. 5-5 Versatility-  Call me crazy but I feel this is where Kehlani really brings it. She seems to be able to craft a lot of different songs, While MC does too maybe not as much…4-6 Impact-  There’s no denying the legendary status of MC which I feel even eclipses what Kehlani has been a...

A lot can be said about this album. For one it’s Keyshia’s best work to date. The album is filled with memorable tracks like Didn’t I Tell You, Fallin Out, Heaven Sent, and Last Night. The latter is a short version to the P.Diddy song, and I love it. Let It Go is present here as well as a remix to it. Like some other R&B albums I’ve rated this high, the production is solid, but a weak point of the album. Keyshia’s strong vocals and clever lyrics make this a must have for your collection. The Verdict is a 9.7/10