Damn Older Sisters & Their Damn Shadows
Written: Jul 29 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Her voice sounds a lot like Toni's; production; Your Room = drool.
Cons: Wrong material for her voice; doesn't flow well; Amil should die.
The Bottom Line: Et tu bottom line?
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| broomqueesha's Full Review: Tamar - Tamar |
When someone mentions the last name Braxton, you probably think of Toni, the stunning, deep-voiced singer of "Un-Break My Heart." Not many people know that her little sister Tamar released her own self-titled album in 2000. It peaked at #127 on the Billboard charts and did nothing to further Tamar's career, which included releasing an equally unsuccessful album with sisters Trina and Towanda back in 1996. Maybe that's because this record, though a pleasant enough R&B effort, has little character and does nothing to define Tamar Braxton as her own artist. Tamar is full of half-hearted ballads and cheesy hip-hop tracks that limit Tamar's range. With producers such as Tricky Stewart, Missy Elliott, and Jermaine Dupri on board, she's hardly taking any risks. Toni is definitely more talented than her little sister, but Tamar could have done so much more on her debut.
The album's opening track, Get None, was helmed by JD and features raps from both him and quite possibly the most horrible female MC ever, Amil. If you've heard one Jermaine Dupri song, you've heard them all - same thumping production, mindless lyrics, and annoying shouts from the producer. Though Tamar really does make an effort vocally, this hip-hop material is totally wrong for her. Besides, Amil is so incredibly bad, it overshadows this cut's few good points. Now Your Room is a whole different story; it's easily the album's best track. It has a grooving, bass-heavy, mid-tempo feel to it and Tamar's vocals are softer and expertly layered, making her sound even more like her sister. The end result is sexy, smooth, and stunning, a song she should definitely be proud of. No Disrespect is another hip-hop song with annoying beeping production courtesy of Missy Elliott. Lil' Mo supplies lackluster background vocals and, overall, this track is forgettable because it's so ill-suited to Tamar's more soulful vocal quality.
Money Can't Buy You Love is horribly overproduced and one of the album's worst tracks. The title of the song doesn't correlate with the lyrical concept in which she basically says she won't get with a guy who doesn't have a lot of money. The mess of cymbal crashes, piano, and glitzy production is just horrible as well. The Latin-spiced Tonight is actually one of my favorites. The Latin guitar and slight staccato feel of the production makes it danceable, and it's definitely catchy, even if Tamar doesn't get to sing out as much. The next two ballads heavily reflect the influence of Tamar's older sister. If You Don't Wanna Love Me has lush, emotive vocals complimented by lilting piano, acoustic guitar, and fingersnaps. Once Again sounds pretty much the same, and both songs have that heartbroken feel to them that has become Toni's signature. Ballads are really Tamar's strong point; she gives these two a smoky, sultry edge.
You Don't Know is a nice mid-tempo track with plucky guitars and acoustic piano. Lyrically, it's the opposite of "Money Can't Buy You Love" as Tamar berates her man for buying her expensive things without showing her any actual love. Her voice sounds so much like Toni's on this song, it's downright scary. Can't Nobody, produced by Tricky Stewart, is vibrant and upbeat, but not too upbeat. A throbbing staccato beat combined with Tamar's low, grumbly vocals gives it a smoky, yet immediately danceable vibe; definitely one of the record's best tunes. The next forlorn ballad, I'm Over You, is quite bland and, though the vocals are strong, it's easily forgettable. It's totally unimpressive lyrically - "Now I'm over you, I knew I would get over you/No matter how long it takes/Now I'm over you, I knew I would get over you/I wanna thank you for walkin' out my life" - and the overall piano-heavy sound is very generic. It's just your typical, run-of-the-mill R&B ballad.
Words is easily one of the album's worst tracks. The choppy vocals and lyrical concept combined with the boring, twinkly production make it very cheesy and unbearable to listen to. Tamar's delivery is rather nasally as well. The Way It Should Be is a romantic mid-tempo ballad with a slight ethnic feel to it due to the soft percussion. It has a surprisingly catchy chorus and nicely layered vocals; the overall sound is very well put-together and even. Miss Your Kiss is another ballad, though this one has an erotic, Janet-esque sound. Tamar's vocals are breathy and she tries a little too hard to sound sexy, but the acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, and moany background vocals support her well. The final tune, Get Mine, is another instantly forgettable hip-hop cut with So So Def-ish production, though it's produced by Tricky. It's basically a clone of "Get None," so I suggest skipping it.
I guess what sucks the most about Tamar is that she really doesn't fulfill her potential. Though she's not quite as vocally gifted as her older sister, she could have done so much more with her voice had she been given the right material. Tamar seems to be searching for herself on this record, searching for a way to distinguish herself from her sister, when, in fact, she should be embracing the power ballads and smooth soul jams that made Toni such a big star. Because those are really Tamar's shining moments - when you strip away the production and all of the bells and whistles, you have Tamar's beautiful, smoky vocals and emotive delivery. A misguided debut effort can sometimes mean the end of a new artist and, unfortunately, that was all too true for the youngest Braxton baby.
Repeat: "Your Room," "Can't Nobody," "The Way It Should Be," and "You Don't Know"
Skip: "Get None," "Words," and "Get Mine"
Great Music To Play While: Prancing around on your album cover in a cheap dollar store bikini that blatantly shows your nipples
Recommended:
No
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broomqueesha
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