Music Album: Two Eleven by Brandy

After a 4-Year hiatus, Brandy Norwood returns with her brand new album titled Two Eleven (referencing the 11th of February). The date is of major significance to the grammy winner, who was not only born on the date, but also because, on the 11th of February 2012, Whitney Houston (her mentor and musical idol) passed. Two Eleven is a r&b fueled album, which all Brandy albums have always been, but what makes it special is the fact that it brought back her music's commercial and popularity value, mostly due to the success of the album's first single, Put It Down (Featuring Chris Brown).

One thing is prominent with all Brandy albums, she always delivers smooth and consistent vocals. On various tracks throughout the album she not delivers great vocals but dare I say, she sounds sexier and edgier than she ever has. She calls on sought-after producers like Rico Love, Sean Garrett, Bangaladesh and Frank Ocean to help her create a sound that is urban, contemporary and true to the r&b genre. From the bouncy sounds on songs like Can You Hear Me Now? and Let Me Go, to the seductive sound she explores on songs like Paint This House and No Such Thing As Too Late, she delivers an album worth listening to. However, where the album shines bright the most is on the Frank Ocean-penned Scared of Beautiful where she terrifyingly sings "...scared of the good more than the evil, scared of the light more than the dark, scared of the truth so much more than a lie..".

Two Eleven is an impressive album by all standards, in the sense that it sounds current and it is pretty much a straight r&b album, which was Brandy's main objective from the onset. Her vocals remain impressive and the production fits into the current style of urban music heard nowadays. My only reservations are that in some ways, I think the songs could have been more organic (i.e. use of live instruments) and could have explored stories of 'loss' more than it did 'love'. In addition, I think she has already explored edgy r&b sounds with her 2004 album (Afrodisiac) and even its predecessor, Full Moon, so I think she could have been more adventurous with the sound she went for with this (thinks Usher's Climax or Miguel's Adorn), overall it is an impressive new collection from her.