Brandy Norwood has certainly come a long way from her “Moesha” days. Currently, taking a break from her recent drama surrounding the car accident that killed a fellow driver, Brandy has had time to record a fifth album, Human.

This album is her first with Epic Records, and she has teamed up with Natasha Bedingfield and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins to create a couple of upbeat and unique songs. However, even with these two popular artists, Brandy’s Human fails to produce any real hits with mostly boring songs, typical lyrics and Brandy’s ability to sound similar in every song.

Human begins with Brandy’s definition of what it means to be human, (“having the freedom to be yourself … having the freedom to be you”) and then moves on to her other 14 tracks that do not compare to her past hits of “The Boy is Mine” and “Have You Ever?” Human‘s bland songs on average all discuss the same things in the lyrics — love and being hurt by love. “Put my love in a jar/ In my heart, like a piggybank/ And I’m giving it to you/ So whatever you do … / Don’t shatter my heart” are the lyrics in “Shattered Heart,” and love again appears in Track 14, “I don’t say it just to say love/ I know better/ If you never showed love/ I don’t think I would’ve known love/ Gotta put it in my song, love/ And sing it over and over.” Brandy does precisely what she sets out to do in those lyrics — talk about love, obviously — but they fall a little flat.

While many of Human‘s tracks are by far the complete opposite of exciting or enthralling, the instrumentals are unique and may be one of the only things to keep the listeners’ attention. Every song has a different sound, a different beat and a different feel. They differ from song to song, but not thanks to Brandy’s voice, who sounds similar in every song. In “A Capella (Something’s Missing)” there is clapping and the word “clap” is also sung in the background giving it a sense of lightheartedness — even something to sing along to. “Piano Man,” “Long Distance” and “Fall” have a powerful and beautiful piano in the forefront of the songs which really brings something new to the tracks.

“Long Distance” and “Fall” are by far the best songs on the album and a big reason for that is the dazzling piano, which brings a heartfelt feeling to the lyrics, making these two songs stand out. These are only two songs in which Brandy differentiates herself from the other songs on Human.

This album hasn’t gotten off to a good start with her two singles, with one at the 29 spot on the Pop 100 chart and 63 spot on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. But repeated listening will help improve the quality and interest in this album. While Brandy’s newest album Human showcases a few possibly popular songs, the rest are unique for their instrumentals, so sticking with Brandy’s old tracks would be the better option.

2 stars out of 5