Exclusive

11/06/2007 | Jive 

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Songs from Exclusive

  • With You
  • Kiss Kiss

    • Videos from Exclusive

    Review

    Teen R&B'er Chris Brown's sophomore album was originally titled Graduation, quite a logical choice for an 18-year-old trying to transition from being a heartthrob for tweens to an artist for their big sisters. Unfortunately, that title was already reserved for Kanye West, so Brown went with Exclusive, which is less evocative and less accurate, considering the record's mass appeal and its numerous guest stars (the aforementioned West, as well as T-Pain, The Game, Lil Wayne, will.i.am and Big Boi).

    Less "cute" than his debut (and intentionally so), Exclusive shows greater musical breadth and places less emphasis on Brown's dance moves. Nonetheless, Brown still comes off like a boy you could bring home to your parents, even when he's boasting about all the ladies he attracts with his newfound stardom (on "Wall to Wall"). And while his vocal skills aren't tops, Brown sings with sweetness and seeming sincerity.

    Across 16 tracks there are bound to be forgettable ones: "Damage" is a slow, unthrilling ballad, and "Nice," the inevitable Scott Storch track, gets off to a strong start, then subsides into the same old thump, plus strings. Still, the quality of the cuts is generally high. "With You" might pull the same trick as Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable" with its combination of acoustic guitar and hand claps, but it's a good trick, and all four Underdogs-produced songs ("Take You Down," "Help Me," "I Wanna Be," and "Lottery") are genuine crowd-pleasers—layered and hummable, with fun details. Growth can be painful, but it seems easy enough here.

    —Hillary Brown
    11.19.07

    Track Listing

  • Track#
  • Title
  • time
  • 1
  • Throwed
  • 3:01

  • 2
  • Kiss Kiss
  • 4:10

  • 3
  • Take You Down
  • 4:05

  • 4
  • With You
  • 4:12

  • 5
  • Picture Perfect
  • 4:12

  • 6
  • Hold Up
  • 3:48

  • 7
  • You
  • 3:22

  • 8
  • Damage
  • 4:16

  • 9
  • Wall to Wall
  • 3:43

  • 10
  • Help Me
  • 3:17

  • 11
  • I Wanna Be
  • 3:46

  • 12
  • Gimme Watcha Got
  • 3:48

  • 13
  • I'll Call Ya
  • 3:53

  • 14
  • Lottery
  • 3:41

  • 15
  • Nice (*)
  • 4:31

  • 16
  • Down (*)
  • 4:17

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