A Different Me

Performer: Keyshia Cole
Artist: Amina Harris; Nas; 2Pac; Monica
Producer: Manny Halley; Keyshia Cole; Ron Fair
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Audio Remasterer: Bernie Grundman. Oakland-born R&B songstress Keyshia Cole has been crafting top-shelf R&B that straddles the stylistic divide between the stridently modern, club-oriented R&B of contemporaries like Ne-Yo and the more backward-looking, classicist soul of Mary J. Blige. A DIFFERENT ME unquestionably favors the latter style. Even on tracks like "Oh-Oh, Yeah-Yea," which features dance-floor ready production from the Outsyderz and a guest appearance from Nas, Cole adopts a self-consciously dramatic, melismatic style of delivery that evokes the vocal virtuosity of divas like Blige and Whitney Houston. This is not to say that A DIFFERENT ME is a wholly conservative affair however. Though much of the album features a more lyrically introspective and musically ambitious side of Cole's artistic personality, tracks like the propulsive, Polow Da Don-produced "Make Me Over" ought to satisfy fans looking for more energetic material.

Rolling Stone (p.76) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Make Me Over' is a shimmying, string-pierce vamp...and 'No Other' pumps Spanish guitar into a Mary J.-style monogamy ode." Spin (p.78) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Accentuating joy over pain to reflect her ascent from troubled beginnings, this is the rare upbeat R&B disc that still feels real." Entertainment Weekly (p.63) - "On A DIFFERENT ME, this Oakland-born belter turns her focus from heartbreak to happiness." Billboard (p.39) - "[O]n the noteworthy ballads 'You Complete Me' and 'Brand New,' Cole exhibits a growing confidence and command of her vocal talent." XXL (Magazine) (p.110) - "Opposites attract on the acoustic gem 'This Is Us'....Promising an exclusive love, Keyshia lyrically seduces her man on 'Brand New'..."

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5