July 28, 2004 @ 8:00 pm

Brandy - Afrodisiac (Atlantic)

by: Laura Checkoway

Brandy and Timberland both had an empty space to fill.

Brandy and Timberland both had an empty space to fill. She split with her producer (Rodney Jerkins), and he lost his unforgettable muse (Aaliyah). After building an esteemed catalog of catchy ear candy with Jerkins, Brandy turned to Timbaland, who creates a seductive, sonic amusement park in which the recently divorced mother can play. But the heavily syncopated production doesn’t launch Brandy onto an exotic roller-coaster ride; instead, it lays a celebratory foundation for her to land upon. With Afrodisiac, Brandy has reached a point in her topsy-turvy journey toward adulthood where she can take a breath and let loose, giving her the ability to make mature, layered music—a far cry from the pleasing pubescent fluff of her formative years. Brandy chronicles her ups and downs on “Focus,” a captivating mid-tempo track on which she struggles not to let an ex-lover or old habit back in her life. But, as the title track suggests, Brandy has settled into her skin and is finally ready to experience and share herself wholeheartedly: “I admit that I’m a prisoner of your sex appeal ... And I can’t wait no longer / Please come give a dose to me.” Her fourth album takes a buoyant turn on the collar-poppin’ lead single, “Talk About Our Love,” as Kanye West takes the reins with an understated track and an unsophisticated verse: “You don’t remember when you was my sweetest / You don’t remember I call you Reese’s Pieces.” And the Tim-laced, take-no-mess anthem “Sadiddy” sets a firm tone: “Today’s a new day,” she announces. “If you cross me, I guarantee you, it won’t be pretty.” Even more hard-hitting is “Come as You Are,” where Brandy passionately declares her womanhood. Brandy is at her most alluring when she takes a pensive look at her own evolution. Backed by production that resonates like heartstrings being plucked, “I Tried” finds her listening to Coldplay as she regrets playing the fool for an unfaithful ex. As Timbaland samples Iron Maiden, Brandy works in lyrics from Coldplay’s melancholy ballad “Sparks,” translating the mourning of the British rock band into an R&B aching all her own. Later, on the autobiographical “Should I Go,” she ponders whether to stay in the biz over slow hand claps and a haunting sample of Coldplay’s “Clocks,” and she croons nostalgically: “This industry was more like a different world, when it was just me, Monica, and Baby Girl.” For the most part, Timbaland crafts a befitting backdrop for Ms. Norwood to reintroduce herself as a full-grown woman. Unfortunately, Brandy’s throaty musings occasionally become mumbles under his hyper-chopped sound. Unlike Aaliyah’s angelic vocals, which rode Tim’s musical waves like a mermaid, Brandy’s sultry alto drowns on some songs. And at times, she seems to sense the delicacy of filling an irreplaceable performer’s shoes. Even as she shakes her butt on the track “Turn It Up,” Brandy acknowledges the loss: “Get Baby Girl’s attention / She’s more than a woman and we sure do miss her / I wanna represent her.” And while Brandy’s musical liaison with Timbaland is what some people might call a match made in heaven, it’s her crazy, sexy, cool revival that’s the true bliss of this fourth coming.

Article tags: Brandy, Afrodisiac, Atlantic 

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