What do you get when you combine vocals from R&B giants like Usher, the late Aaliyah, Akon, Trey Songz, R. Kelly, Brandy and Jhené Aiko with myriad of wordplay from Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj all into one album?
In theory at least, you get a conceptually ambitious album that promises to match up with some of the all-time great R&B albums. Unfortunately in practice, Chris Brown’s sixth studio album, X, fails to bring coherence to all of the power features.
Brown, only 24 years old, came into the mainstream music game as a mere teenager, captivating pop audiences with hits like “Run It,” “Wall to Wall” and “Forever,” while also perfecting the R&B genre through classics of the millennial era like “With You,” “Poppin” and “Yo (Excuse Me Miss).”
When you consider Brown’s past successes you have to place him at the top of the hierarchy of R&B with Usher, Beyoncé, Rihanna and R. Kelly. With a Grammy win and 12 Grammy nominations to his name, Brown has solidified his place as someone who consistently brings his “A” game on every project.
During a March 26, 2013 interview with Ebony Magazine, Brown likened his approach to the creative process behind X to what legendary producer Quincy Jones often did in the past: locking producers and artists in the studio until products like Michael Jackson’s Thriller came out almost sonically perfect.
Despite using this approach, Brown’s new album gives us flashes of brilliance followed by normative, mundane tracks that aim too much to please the current trend of EDM and trap-style influencers.
Citing the inspiration behind his album as a celebration of life and his good fortune, tracks like “Loyal,” “Free China,” “New Flame,” “Autumn Leaves” and “Drown In It” showcase Brown’s ability to take his one-in-a-billion voice and pair it with a catchy instrumental to create true bangers of the pop and R&B genres.
If the quality of those tracks persisted throughout this album it would be a no-brainer for a Grammy selection.
However awesome “Loyal” and “Free China” may be, tracks like “X” and “Stereotype” sound more suitable for less vocally-talented artists like French Montana or Chief Keef. Additionally, you get a bit of a stalker-ish vibe on “See You Around” as he talks about his ex-girlfriend (presumably Rihanna) leaving him.
Throughout the album you can almost sense the disjuncture between the creative process of X and Brown’s personal life. For example, Brown learned that “Loyal” had hit number one on the charts while he was in jail.
Although you have some true gems on this album that have genuinely influenced popular culture (how many times have you heard someone say, “These hoes ain’t loyal” in the past 4 months?), X just lacks a holistically coherent sound. The album takes you from moments of true bliss to sheer disgust within seconds of a song ending.
Because X takes so many uncharacteristic turns, it leaves a lot to be desired for the true Chris Brown fan.
6/10
