Spotify Listen Link: Chris Brown – Fortune (Deluxe Version)
2012 Grammy Nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album
I have my reservations about reviewing this album, of course. But, the guy was nominated for a Grammy, and I want to finish this list. So we'll do this for the good of music.
So, that said, focusing on the album and not the man, this is Chris' 5th studio album, and his first on RCA after falling out with Jive. Generally, the album got negative reviews (hence why I don't read reviews before writing these things), though it debuted at #1 in its first week.
Diving right in, first up is "Turn Up the Music." I mean, an appropriate start song title right? Makes sense. The guy is kind of one fo the masters of the dance track these days in the club. It most definitely gets you wanting to move around and get on the dance floor. A good enough start to the album to come. | |
| Big Dean & Wiz Khalifa join in for the next one (which is transitioned into flawlessly, by the way), "Till I Die." I guess the disappointing thing about the flawless transition is that the beat wasn't great in that last one. But I guess it kind of picks up a little bit as this one comes in. And aw, Big Sean quotes his own song. That's sort of, kind of, adorable and unexpected. Though the only thing I think of in regard to his song is getting the president of our very Christian university to do the "Soldier Boy" dance. Ha, memories. |
We're back to Chris and a slower mode with "Don't Judge Me." It's more lyrics on folks listening to rumors. While this may or may not have anything to do with the Rihanna situation, it's really hard to consider it any other way. Solely by lyrics, it's a sort of sweet number on getting to know a person for them, not for what others think. It's about moving on, in a way. | |
| I almost want "Biggest Fan" to be reminiscent of he Backstreet Boys' tribute to their moms, but I think we all know that won't be the case going in. Hell, it's not even a tribute to Chris' fans. It's about a girl who he wants to get with. I should have seen this coming, right? |
"Sweet Love" is a mess of sounds. I bet I can guess at the critical responses about this album, because the music is not at all up to snuff on most of these songs, and the lyrics are lacking any depth whatsoever. This song has this mess of higher pitched sounds along the way, none of which add anything enjoyable to the track. Ugh, when is this over? | |
| I'm done expecting depth. "Strip" is yet another song that he'll use in concert to sway the love of his adoring fans. There's nothing wrong with that, don't get me wrong - that's the type of artist this is. Kevin McCall is also rapping on this song, adding a little bit of a different voice to the overall sound. I think I would've expected, also, this to be a slower and longer song, but what do I really know anymore? |
Moving on, we get a lighter song in "4 Years Old." It's almost so smooth that you miss the meaning, and honestly, halfway through I don't really know that I understand it. It's light and nice, which is pleasant enough to listen to. I guess this is one of those that makes for gentle enough background music, though doesn't really grasp well enough to make an impact I'm sure was intended in the original writing and recording. | |
| Confession time - there is something absolutely intoxicating about "Don't Wake Me Up." It's a song that I wound have never thought I'd enjoy, but I love pumping it up loud in my car and singing along to the one-lined chorus. It's just fun and loud and enjoyable. The rhythm is danceable and the singing is actually very sweet sounding. He pretty much hit the mark right on this one. |
Aw, he attempts to win me back with the softer "Tell Somebody," but I get where we're going on this one. And there's a sex line. Yup, some things never change. Late friend is always (dependably) late, and Chris Brown is always just uncomfortable enough for 90% of his album to make me never want to hear this all with my mother in the same room. | |
We're so into the home stretch now, and that's exciting! "Remember My Name" seems like kind of a joke to me, but that's me judging by the title and not the song. Also, I may have only caught the last verse and chorus. Oops. But it seemed like a sort of typical song - nothing entirely impressive to be missed. Sevyn was back, so that's nice.
"Wait For You" has a little video-game-y thing going on in the background there. And the vocals are sort of old-school influenced in a nice way. I can dig this a little bit more than the others, as it's got a more musical sound as opposed to hurting my head with weird sounds. He could still do without the auto tune though. I mean, everyone could, really.
The final song brings in Sevyn again, and it's titled "Touch Me." It's not the song from "Smash," as much as I may want it to be. There is some sort of finality sound to it though. It's slower and plays us out as a nice jam.
Added to My Playlist:
- "Stuck On Stupid"
- "Don't Wake Me Up"
I made it through an entire Chris Brown album! Seriously, this is not my kind of music on the regular, and Usher's the only one who normally gets it completely right for me. But we made it through and can check that one off with even a couple of decent tracks.