Christina Milian – So Amazin’

Artist: Christina Milian

Title: So Amazin’

Label: Def Soul

Rating: 3/10

FILE UNDER: R&B gone wrong.

CORPORATE LINE: At twenty-four, stunning songstress Christina Milian understands all too well what it takes to be a star. “When it came time for me to work on my third album, SO AMAZIN’, I knew that I needed to record material that had a realness,” explains Christina. “I still wanted to make dance tracks, but I also needed to express more of myself at the same time.”

Using the blueprint of rhythmic icons Janet Jackson and the late Aaliyah, the singer/songwriter decided that the first step towards musical difference would be finding a team of producers who could musically transfer her inner feelings into outer hotness. It was during this period that Christina first met Cool & Dre.

THE GOOD:
“Say I” f/Young Jeezy – A beat reminiscent of something you’d hear on a Nas album or an old school hip-hop track works surprisingly well here. Milian makes the best of a monotonous song. It’s too bad someone didn’t axe Young Jeezy.

THE AVERAGE:
“Twisted” – The sample sounds like it’s a continuation of “Say I.” If you walk out of the room and came back you might wonder if it’s the same song.
“Foolin’” – The hook is okay—but her talking introduction and production is awful.
“She Don’t Know” – A cute song that is worth a few listens.

THE BAD:
“Who’s Gonna Ride” f/Three 6 Mafia – This is too raunchy for Christina Milian. Sure, she’s growing up but this is raunchy for no reason. And Three 6 Mafia only makes it worse. “So Amazing” is exactly the same nonsense. There lyrics are terrible and the beat makes me want to toss the album out the window.
“Hot Boy” f/Dre – This is a joke right? Dre has some ridiculous voice effect that makes him sound like a monster from a horror film. This is one of the worst songs of the year.

FRANKLY: Cool & Dre’s beats aren’t right for Christina Milian. The beats and poor lyrics hurt the album. The samples are ridiculous and out of place as are the producers who insisted on using them. Milian is a pop singer and Cool & Dre tried to make her hard. Milian isn’t Mary J. Blige no matter what they try to do. Next time leave Cool & Dre and all the guest stars, particularly the hip-hop artists, behind and keep on moving forward.

+ Cc Morris