Brandy

The problem with Brandy is that her own competence and grounded-ness work against her when it comes to expectations, which means that her new album, Human, while perfectly, yes, competent and grounded, is just a little bit boring when you get right down to it. In the works since 2005, it contains no bad tracks, but it also doesn't have many that are particularly interesting. She's never going to confess her preference for kinky sex or her secret love of the paparazzi, and this makes her a fine human indeed, but pop stars should perhaps be a little more than human. Part of the problem with Human lies in its sub-par production, which requires Brandy to sing a bit above her normal range and makes her sound both breathy and strained at times. It also lacks a bass depth and a genuine sparkle, no matter who's working on a track, although it is full of "twinkle" sound effects that fall flat.

The best song here is "A Capella (Something's Missing)," which steps back and lets Brandy's ability to do a quiet, non-obnoxious melisma shine. However, it is, for no discernible reason, buried at the very back of the album. "The Definition," on the other hand, which could be a rejected boy band song and is one of the weakest here, is right up front, immediately prejudicing the listener against anything else to come. Perhaps it would be better to listen to the album in reverse order, as the better stuff is all back-loaded.

—Hillary Brown
01.13.08

Human's release marked the longest wait between Brandy albums, if only by a few months, and it's easy to understand why. After Afrodisiac's June 2004 release, Brandy dropped her manager, left Atlantic, broke off an engagement, was a judge on America's Got Talent, got into a car accident that caused the death of a driver, and signed with Epic (possibly in that order). Issued a few months prior to facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the husband of the woman who died in the accident, Human is easily the most platitudinal Brandy album, but it is no less compelling for it, even when blocking out the complicated context of the singer's personal life. Renewing her alliance with Rodney Jerkins, whose production and co-songwriting work dominate the album's first half, Brandy is clearly in a comfort zone that enables her to open up more than ever. This is demonstrated from the beginning, in "The Definition," where she declares a clean slate with trembling resilience. Through most other voices, optimistic "everyone together now" songs like "Warm It Up (With Love)" and soul-searching adult contemporary ballads like "Human" and "Fall" (written with Natasha Bedingfield) would wilt, but there's no denying Brandy's unforced sincerity. Nothing here will get any party started; Human is nothing if not a serious album, not to mention the least enjoyable release in Brandy's catalog. But it could very well be her most useful one. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi