Customer Reviews

Blaque

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I gotta say this is one of the best r&b/pop albums out their today. Each member of Blaque brings a unique sound on every song. Lead vocalist Shamari adds a strong sense of soulfulness on some songs, Brandi adds pure sweetness with her sweet baby breath-like voice, and Natina adds pure hip-hop with her constant rapping and plus, she adds a few laid back vocals on "Mind of a King". As you can see, or hear, Blaque's sensual debut proves they have staying power. Let's go through the tracks:

1.Blaque intro- nice intro, that's all I can say. 5/5

2.Roll With Me- really good song. This should have been the intro instead of track #1. This one has a heavy r&b flavor, so any r&b fanatic will love this song. 5/5

3.I Do- Very nice track with a retro 60's sound in it. Nice rapping done by Natina. 5/5

4.Leny- This one is okay. that's all I can say. 4/5

5.Rainbow Drive- Beautiful and very positive. This one is kinda like a theme for Blaque because of their name and message to the public (Believing in Life and A cheiving a Quest for Unity in Everything). 5/5

6.808- Great song. Penned by R.Kelly (you know it's gonna be good!). 5/5

7.Time After Time- DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS SONG!! It is a wonderful cover version of Cyndi Lauper's song. Blaque's version is a little upbeat, but still beautiful. 6/10

8.Bring it All to Me- Okay people, the best thing about this song is NOT J.C's appearance!!! He does NOT sound good, so quit using that as an excuse to like this song! 7/10 (excluding J.C's performance).

9.Mind of a King- Great performance from Natina! Very laid-back and cool. 7/10

10.Don't Go Looking for Love- Beautiful ballad!!!! Penned by diva Mariah Carey. It sounds like something Mariah would sing herself. Maybe it's because of the strong vocals Shamari showcases in the song, and those background vocals are GREAT!!!!! 9/10

11.Release Me- Another beautiful, haunting ballad with amazing background music and vocals. 8/10

12.Right Next To Me- a sweet, midtempo song with a sweet sound from beginning to end. 7/10

13.Stay By Your Side- Another great song. I just love the message in it and the music and lyrics are just fantastic! 8/10

14.When the Last Teardrop Falls- An excellent, heartfelt song and closer. The wonderful message is about losing someone you love, like a b-friend/g-friend, relative, or close friend. 9/10

Overall, buy this cd. You will not be dissapointed.

When i 1st heard "808" i was really interested in Blaque so when their album was released i got it straight away! Not all the songs are for some people's appetite but this album is a blend of pop and r'n'b - which is a good blend! (well, i think so!) TRACKS

1) Blaque Ivory intro - doesn't last long, maybe trying 2 copy TLC'S "Fanmail" beginning.

2) Roll with me - quite a good start, a real "pump up the volume tune".

3) I do - Great track to dance to, fab chorus. one of my fave's!Good rapping from member Brandi.

4) Leny - maybe......skip this song, a bit depressing if u ask me..........

5) Rainbow drive - really nice summer song, gives u a lift on a bad day!

6) 808 - Complete r'n'b tune, written by R.Kelly (thats when u know its gonna be good!)Good rap by member Brandi. Another fave of mine.

7) Time after time - a cover of Cyndie Lauper's, as they say originals r best but this is a good cover.

8) Bring it all to me - Another fave of mine, a really good track, real r'n'b featuring JC from N'sync who gives it a bit of pop.

9) Mind of a king - I like this, its a bit weird at first and the chorus is 2 but give it a listen, the words r crafted 2gether very well. Not very dancy but u can always tap ur foot 2 it...........

10) Don't go looking for love - written by Mariah Carey, should have been sung by Mariah Carey!Lead singer Shamari hits a few dodgy high notes here......

11) Release me - the music in the background of this reminds me of THE EXORCIST theme (!)good thing, bad thing....dunno also this has lots of heavy breathing and talking in it. Give it a listen. might make u laugh!

12) Right next to me - ok song, maybe skip this!

13)Stay by your side - not a bad love song, worth listening to!

14) When the last teardrops fall - really, really good love song. Good song to finish off the album!

Good album, could be better but maybe their 2nd can overcome the "TLC" copying!

She wishes they had a single of "Bring it all to me"

this is a very good CD. I recommend buying it, it is worth the $$, and you'll be glad you bought it. I am giving it 5 stars because each song is great in different ways. It is great to know that Left-Eye of TLC is thier manager, it shows that they will be successful themselves. And I love that duet they do with N Sync, "Bring It All To Me". That's one of the best songs by them. So buy it if you havent already!

This is one of my favorite albums, I listen to it all the time. I especially liked the songs "I Do", "Rainbow Drive," "Bring it All to Me", and "When the Last Teardrop Falls." I am SOOO glad that Left-Eye from TLC found this amazing group.

Ah, 1999-when female groups ruled the airwaves. There was 702, and there was Destiny's Child-two groups whose sophomore efforts turned into chart-topping pieces of work. A new group that hoped to join those ranks was Left Eye protégés Blaque, composed of lead singer Shamari Fears, rapper Natina Reed, and Brandi Williams.

Their first single "808" did pull them into gold territory, and "Bring It All To Me" broke into the top ten. Unfortunately, this is one of the many cases where the only songs you'd really want to listen to are the released ones. Not to say that the rest of the songs are necessarily BAD, but most of them sound like they're supposed to be on somebody else's album. For example, "Mind Of A King" and "Release Me" sound like they were borrowed from Enigma. Also, there are several of those unnecessary interview skits where people diss the group, and their remake of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" sounds good until they add party music for the chorus. (Aren't we tired of hearing "Time After Time" remakes anyway?) The last two songs on the album, "Stay By Your Side" and "When The Last Teardrop Falls," ARE good. In fact, they're so good you'll be wondering what happened on the rest of the album.

And now, on to the production. Production credit was given to Track Masters, but there surprisingly weren't many samples to be found here. It was odd, however, that they actually sampled an adlib for "Stay By Your Side" (they sampled "I'll be there/I'll be right there" from Boyz II Men's "Please Don't Go"). Also, the lyrics to "Rainbow Drive" turn it into a public service announcement, but Poke & Tone's beat added to it makes you wonder if the song was borrowed from Sesame Street.

Blaque claims that they're R&B, but then other people claim that they're bubble-gum pop. What do I think? I really can't tell. "They have their own style." I guess we'll have to go with that for right now.

Sadly disapointing.
There are some tracks that stand out (3) but the trio do not offer much lyrically. I cant grasp the concept of the song "Lenny." Is this song an acronym or is it dedicated to a Lenny. The interludes are annoying. But on another note they did a good job with the remake of "Time after Time, " but the songs that were radio air played were as good as it gets (if you even liked those) "Bring it all to me" and "808." "rainbow drive" nice message but the approach is lacking creativity. If music is supposed to be a form of expression minus having to make sense or being a stimuli then this cd is great!

Blaque hit the big time in 1999 with the radio smash second single "Bring It All To Me", featuring a guest vocal from *NSYNC heartthrob JC Chasez. The track is best of infectious R&B pop, and the best of this debut album release. Other singles from the album include "808" and "I Do", both of which did better with quite a bit of reworking. The former was totally redone practically, with the familiar line "She ain't got the boom like I do". The latter was vamped up with a guest rap from the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who had made the girls her proteges. The cheesy uplifting "Rainbow Drive" is a surpisingly strong cut. The rest of the album is weighted down with dismal slushy ballads. None of them are stand-out, even the cover of Cyndi Lauper's pop classic "Time After Time" is totally stale. Maybe after so many cover versions, the song just can't stand up for yet another reworking. Either way, the album in general is totally bland dissapointment. It's a one listen album IF that. Buy at your own risk.

Blaque's CD is great. Their songs have a very funky R&B type sound to them. My favorite song would have to be "Bring It All To Me." It sounds so cool and is sung so well. I also love the cover of "Time After Time." It's awesome! If you like TLC or Destiny's Child you will love Blaque. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who likes pop or R&B music.

Blaque explodes onto the scene with their smash hit "808" produced and written by R.Kelly. The follow up to their smash hit "Bring It All To Me f/ Nsync" offers a nice somewhat new type of sound and is very infectious, great potential. Other notable tracks is the Motown-styled song "I Do", which somewhat touches more on Pop music sounds, the soulful ballad "When The Last Teardrop Falls", and the racial unity-based track "Rainbow Drive". However, some of the songs somewhat leave you disappointed due to the quality of their recent hits. In my opinion, only about half of the album is really good, but they should really try to do better next time around.