Chris Brown - Exclusive

Chris Brown is an impressive 16-year-old R&B singer with a lot going for him, including great looks and a terrific voice. On his first CD, CHRIS BROWN, he concentrates on hook-heavy, sexy lyrics and a solid groove that will keep his fans dancing all night long. Influenced by an array of R&B greats including Michael Jackson, Sam Cooke, and Aretha Franklin, Chris Brown holds his own over the well-produced tracks.

The world really needs to lay off Chris Brown. Sure, he's talented, confident (which some misconstrue as arrogance) and has a few flaws to his name but he didn't look out of place performing 'Thriller' at last years World Music Awards, and acted his co-stars off the screen for his 15 minutes in Stomp The Yard. His self-titled debut sold more than 3 million copies, and who can forget 'Run It', a song that perpetually played on MTV for weeks on end? In Chris Brown, we have a potential Michael Jackson for this generation. Brown's debut did well, but with Exclusive, he's really sealed the deal as a big player in the genre which is mostly dominated by Justin Timberlake, Usher and the like.

His second album proper is a interesting mix, and is far more honest than anything he's recorded thus far: the songs are a really clear representation of where Chris Brown is going but- on the flipside- not fully what he is capable of. The album leans more towards the R'n'B ballad side of the sound spectrum, and it's a welcome break after the beat-heavy crunk which made up the bulk of his debut (which, die-hard fans, still remain). The real standouts are the songs featuring guest artists, including 'Kiss Kiss', 'Picture Perfect' and the epic finisher 'Down'. It's no mistake that 'Kiss Kiss' currently has a strong hold over the charts, sitting comfortably at number 1, and the producer's have done themselves proud on this album. T-Pain puts in a solid performance, Will.i.am exceeds expectations (after his mediocre solo offering, Songs About Girls) and Kanye West produces and raps on 'Down', a jubilant finish which wraps up the album in a characteristically stylish fashion. The real clincher, though, is 'With You' a song which Rolling Stone correctly highlighted as Irreplaceable volume 2. It's a blatant copy, but Brown and producer Stargate pull it off purely by force of charm. Ironically (given the songs obvious influences) this is the song that really won me over, but as is common with hip-hop albums, few of the remaining songs meet the high standards set by these great songs.

Track List

1. Throwed(produced by Bryan Michael Cox)
2. Kiss Kiss (produced by and featuring T-Pain)
3. Take You Down (produced by The Underdogs)
4. With You(produced by Stargate)
5. Picture Perfect(produced by and featuring Will.I.Am)
6. Hold U(featuring Big Boi)
7. You
8. Damage
9. Wall to Wall(produced by Swizz Beatz & Sean Garrett)
10. Help Me
11. I Wanna Be
12. Gimme Whatcha Got
13. I’ll Call Ya
14. Lottery
15. Nice (produced by Scott Storch and featuring The Game)
16. Down(produced by and featuring Kanye West)

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