Customer Reviews

Beautiful

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"a love story" is still in heavy rotation in my iPod. "vivian," not so much. which brings me to "beautiful..." the album is friggin AMAZING!

does it have weak moments, YES, "better man" coulda been scrapped. was "beautiful" the BEST choice as the first single? NO, "i know how" woulda been received better to radio

HOWEVER, what initially drew me to viv back in 2002 was her WRITING & her VOCAL performance & honey, she is not missing a BEAT!

"too intense," can DEFINITELY get play if released on the dance charts
"somewhere" & "jordan's song," the vocals are absolutely CHILLING
the aforementioned "i know how" & "one of none," once again, vivian is able to craft a song about some REAL ish & baby, both songs are so therapeutic

this album won't do big numbers (if any at all) due to bad (or a lack of) promotion along with weak single choices...i downloaded off iTunes AND i just ordered myself a hard copy off amazon...if i don't support the artists i love, who will?

I saw Vivian at Birchmere in VA last night and she is back with a vengeance. Her whole set was from the new cd (except 3 songs done as an encore). At first I was was a little taken aback, but I loved everything she did! I couldn't wait to get up and get the cd this morning. My new favorite song is Caught Up. Other hot ones are Better Man, When We're Apart, Save Me, I Know How...,Somewhere, and Too Intense. Her song for her son Jordan is every parent's anthem, it's so heartfelt and beautiful. The story behind it is heartbreaking but unbelievably hopeful and a testament to the power of God-trust Him and his plan!!!!!! Pick it up and enjoy new Vivian!

Granted it's been awhile since we've heard any new music from Vivian Green , I decided to purchase this cd given her last 2 cds prior were likeable . Within 20 mins of listening to this cd, my ears and patience got the best of me. Vivian , has great voice . This cd doesn't bring any of her vocal ability out . I'm not sure if it's the writer's she's using , production or a combination of all 3. I'm happy that she was able to get a record deal on a independent label , just wish they took the time to promote, produce and market her in a better direction . Please folks save your money on this purchase . Sorry Vivian .

When I saw her album in the store, I couldn't wait to put it into my player and see how it turned out. This is a very good album, and Vivian sounds just as good as she ever did. People need to stop classifying artists as this or that and just judge them by how the album sounds. Who cares if their past albums were a different style and this one doesn't measure up in your opinion. Just ask yourself, would you take it or leave it. And this album I would definitely take.

To be honest, I'm shocked that this CD has gotten such mixed reviews. I absolutely LOVED it. This was one of the best R&B albums that I've heard in a long while and I'm very glad I bought it.

I'm overseas and we need some good music over here. One of the guys kept talking about Vivian Green. I have never heard of her. He was blasting this cd and I had to order it for myself. Maybe I love it because I don't have her first cd to compare it to but the lady is bad and I have already ordered her other cds. I think you can only really appreciate Vivian's music if she's telling your story and on this cd she is definitely telling mine. I was drawn in by Beautiful but my other favorites are Too intense, Caught up, Jordan's song, and One of None. I hope to hear much more from Vivian. She has been slighted on the promotion scene. It's a shame because she has awesome talent!!!

I'm just glad she's back. I hardly ever buy music, and there are very few artists that I like (most are out of the mainstream). I was very excited to see a new album. I had just graduated college when her 2nd album came out, so it's been at least five years since she's done any studio work. The reviews almost scared me away, but Viv is an artist that makes good music, with good writing, and it's better than the garbage on radio these days.That said, 'Beautiful' is not to the standards of Love Story OR Vivian. Those albums hooked me instantly. This one has two or 3 songs that sound like classic Vivian, but most are forgettable. Again, not terrible, but they don't stand out. Like I said, I support very few artists, so I was OK paying the 6.99 for this. But I hope she comes stronger next time.


Oh, and I HATE the video for Beautiful. They changed the beat of the song to a more R&Bish sound. I hope she's not taking that route.

After a five year absence, Vivian Green returns with a new album "Beautiful" on a new label, E1 Music. On this new album, she tries to move away from the neo-soul tag that has defined her entire career. The sound is considerably contemporary (Think Chrisette Michele's complete 180 on "Epiphany"). Assisting her in this new sound is producer Anthony Bell (best known for Jill Scott's song "Golden") who produces the entire album save for "I Know How..." and "Save Me" which were produced by Jason "J-Vibe" Farmer. Sonically, she takes two steps forward while lyrically she takes two steps back. Songs like "Better Man" and "Too Intense" are a little mundane for Vivian who is a fairly decent songwriter. There are a few bright spots on this album, but you begin to wonder if she is trying too hard to get commercial appeal. Overall, "Beautiful" is a rather bland album.

I am loving Vivi's new cd. I can listen to the whole CD from the beginning to the end without skipping any songs. GREAT JOB!

I am a Vivian Green fan - there is something about her voice when she sings that touches my heart and I have grown to appreciate her songwriting which features honest mature lyrics about falling in love, being in love, falling out of love and being hurt by love.

I have listened to this album many times since I bought it and find it odd that a previous comment stated that there were "man bashing" songs on here because there are not. This is a really good r&b album that didn't get a lot of promotion because it was released independently; also although the track BEAUTIFUL is a good single to listen to, it is not the right choice for a lead single (especially after such a long hiatus from the music scene).

The thing that I enjoy about this album is it is not "rump shaking" music and doesn't go overboard with hip hop elements or the techno/dance element that so many others are using now. This album features simply produced songs that really allow Vivian's voice to shine.

The tracks that instantly became favorites are:

TOO INTENSE - this is a breezy, uptempo catchy track that could've been a great lead single

I KNOW HOW - great song about being able to fall in love again after getting out of a bad relationship

SAVE ME - upbeat reggae beats help this track stand out from the others

SOMEWHERE - simply produced ballad on which she builds to a powerful climax sounding vulnerable yet powerful at the same time

JORDAN'S SONG - a beautiful lullaby to her son

SO FAR GONE - excellent production on this track, they used synth elements & autotune sparingly throughout the song which adds so much to the track which also features a rap solo by Young Solo which doesn't overtake the track

My OK tracks are:

SEARCH IS OVER - features an interesting drum arrangement; CAUGHT UP w/ Laurin Talese - beautiful ballad; ONE OF NONE - bonus track that ends the album, the lyrics are a bit over the top and I felt that it should've been reversed with JORDAN'S SONG to create a more powerful ending to the album

Overall I think fans will enjoy this collection and applaud Vivian for also going the independent route and also improving on her songwriting skills.