Customer Reviews

L.A. State Of Mind

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My how time changes things. Back in 1998, whilst touring America with former bandmates the Spice Girls, Melanie B declared that New York should've been her home. "Urban". "Raw". "Real". Adjectives she used to describe New York, while adjectives such as "tacky" & "false" described Los Angeles.

But motherhood & exposure to the nature of British celebrity must have changed Melanie's mind. Melanie now does indeed live in L.A. Though, after the madcap adventures of the Spice Girls, a divorce, a misdirected debut record, a bestseller book, & a daughter mellowed the "scary" in this spice.

"L.A. State of Mind" finds Melanie not discussing the Hollywood nature of L.A., but celebrating the warm & inviting calm it brought her. After her debut, Melanie took time between that record & this one. The sound here is radically different from "Hot", rightfully & thankfully so. Melanie was much more involved in this indie affair.

The eclecticism Melanie was known for, comes through on inspirational opener "Today", a number that is so positive, one can't help but smile. Even the subject of bad days is tackled with a Sheryl Crow affirmation feel on the bouncy "Stay In Bed Days". "If I Had My Life Again" & "In Too Deep" give the record a sturdy center, as they frankly address life & love, & celebrate them in all their confusing glory.

She's never sounded better, if at times she reaches too much, on "Beautiful Girl" & "Hold On". Hell, she smoulders on the spoken, sexy "Sweet Pleasure".

Overall, while this was not at all a commercial or critical darling in her native Britain or anywhere else for that matter, those that have heard it have come away with positive words about it. Melanie seems content & it comes across here. Honestly, with humor,& a little "spice". Forgive the pun, highly recommended!

On a sidenote, I purchased this version, which comes with a 30-minute mini-documentary on Melanie & this record. If you are a Spice Girl fan who has fallen out of step & wishes to get reaquainted? This is perfect way to do so. For the Spice Heads? This just shows why we love Melanie. She comes across as down to earth & humorous, plus learning the behind-the-scenes of this LP is nice!

1)Today Upbeat song makes you feel good 5/5
2)Stay In Bed Days ok song a rock feel but her voice sounds good on it could have done without the little kids 3/5
3)Beautiful Girl a heartfelt ballad for her daughter 5/5
4)Music Of The Night i think anyone can dance to this song i love it 5/5
5)If I Had My Life Again A song that makes you think about the past not one of my favorites but listenable 3/5
6)In Too Deep i really never listen to this song very much unless i'm listing to the whole album 2/5
7)Sweet Pleasure I do not like this song at all 1/5
8)L.A State Of Mind ok song again not one of my fav's 2/5
9)Say,Say,Say Dont really like this song but she sounds good on the song 3/5
10)Bad Bad Girl Sounds like it should have came out in the 80's 2/5
11)Hold On A great way to end the album 5/5
i think this a good album people should really buy it

I've always like Mel B when she was in the Spice Girls, i think she's the one who can really sing (also emma), this album is really really nice! Just because they didn't have much promotion on it, but it's really good!
This album is sooo much better than her first solo album, Hot. Loads of great tracks in there, a perfect CD for getting ready for night out.
I especially like the song "Hold On", "Today" and "Say Say Say"... !!
It might be a bit crazy to spend $37.99 on a CD, but i think it's totally worth it!!

Melanie Brown has made a musical accomplishment over her first album, "Hot", but not a popularity accomplishment... Hot's highest chart position was in the 20's... not good for a spice... but then you look at "L.A. State of Mind"... A better album (without a doubt), but #453 is terrible. Amber Cafe, Melanie Brown, and the other spicers should be grimacing at this number. Terrible promotion and management.

Now the DVD is something else... It's a half hour of your life you'll never get back... thirty minutes of Melanie Brown explaining that she lives in L.A. and not U.K. Boring. I needed a bit more background info behind the tracks... especially songs like "Stay In Bed Days", "Hold On", "L.A. State of Mind", and "If I Had My Life Again"...

01. Today - (4/5) - The worst selling single of the spices (Thank Amber Cafe's poor promotion for that) at #41, this song deserves better but I thought that "Stay In Bed Days" or the album title track would have made a better single for this album... It's a great song for those early mornings for work where you get up and are feeling disheveled, yet when you boost the stereo volume in your car, you are suddenly enlightened.

02. Stay In Bed Days - (5/5) - Could have been a top 10 single in my opinion (under the right promotion of course), this song has extreme potential with the theme everyone can relate to: Days you just want to shut everything out... is life worth living outside your home? "Is This Me? Is this what I'm really like?" and "Am I a misery? Have I lost it in L.A.?" are understandable questions. Musically, this song is uptempo and something you wanna sing out loud with the top down on the lonely or traffic road on the way to your next destination.

03. Beautiful Girl - (4/5) - This song has a beginning to it that sounds like an enhanced version of the motifs of India.Arie's "Voyage To India" tracks (Growth, Healing, Gratitude) and is probably directed towards Phoenix. A formidable song, but not my favorite.

04. Music of the Night - (4/5) - A lively beat. Four of five stars for the sole reason that Melanie Brown did not triumph over Emma's "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" in the Latin/Samba/Salsa category, but however, did overpower Geri's "Mi Chico Latino" (which to my opinion is a horrendous tune) and so it deserves its rating.

05. If I Had My Life Again - (5/5) - Last night, I had a dream. I dreamed my friends in choir and I all sang with my chorus teacher who sang lead vocal for this song and at the end said he had no regrets in quitting. This song's lyrics are incredible and to me, they're about Melanie Brown's accomplishments in the Spice world, her life with Jim, her daughter Phoenix, and her first solo album which tanked in the charts... It's a great piece.

06. In Too Deep - (4/5) - An airy piece which I rate for out of five stars for her creative cut off on "STOP." This song shows that she has grown as an artist and has conquered her life's problems. Pop as this track can sound, it beats some of Emma and Geri's pop songs.

07. Sweet Pleasure - (1/5) - An eleven track album has a weak link in this case... L.A. State of Mind would be #353 instead of one hundred lower in my eyes if this song were wiped from the planet. It's hardly worth one star... such a "Hot" sound...

08. L.A. State of Mind - (5/5) - I got this CD for the $26.99 in LA at tower records... West Hollywood/LA is the real State of Mind... (Gay baby shower at the nicest hotel got me this... praise my mother) Its beat is superior to Spice's "Holler" and is a laid back rhythm and blues that could be turned into a top 10 single... who doesn't want to hear of my beautiful city?

09. Say Say Say - (4/5) - This pop track holds its own with describing the qualities a man should have without sounding too much like "Hot" or "Sweet Pleasure".

10. Bad Bad Girl - (2/5) - Melanie Brown claims on the DVD that she loves this song because it goes rock... I hate this song because it goes nowhere... what is it REALLY about? The chorus is what's holding up 2 stars... that's it.

11. Hold On - (5/5) - Beautiful. (What? No paragraph on this track because it is impeccably wonderful?) Simply beautiful.

Overall, this album triumphs musically, but I don't think Melanie Brown will be allowed to produce a third album. She can thank "Hot" and "Amber Cafe" for this... Mel, take this sound to Virgin/EMI, and they JUST MIGHT TAKE YOU BACK! You can be as great as Emma, Geri, MELANIE C!!!

I finally got a hold of this. And to make it better, it's the CD+DVD edition that I bought, for a low price.

The most disappointing solo album from the Spice Girls in terms of sales; it does not mean it is the worst solo album from a former Spice Girl. With very little to zero promotion, the album performed poorly when it was released. Such a shame as the album is not bad at all.

Gone are the r'n'b uptempo songs that filled her first solo album "Hot". Acoustic tracks and ballads are very much present in "L.A. State of Mind". With the shift of dance tracks to slow tempo songs, a shift in topic and message of the songs come along as well.

Most of the songs have uplifting lyrics and music that will truly put a smile on your face (i.e., Today, In Too Deep, Hold On, L.A. State of Mind). Soft ballads If I Had My Life Again and Say, Say, Say really chugs your heart.

Finally, Lullaby and Feel Me Now (from her first album) are reborn in Beautiful Girl and Sweet Pleasure respectively.

L.A. State of Mind (the album) is like a rare gem. Only few have it, and those who do are very fortunate.

Melanie Brown's second attempt at a Solo Album was a sucess. I LOVED every single song on this album. You'd be thick not to buy this.

I really love Spice Girls's music but Melanie's solo carriere has stated very weakly. The first album was quite poor and this is well...a little bit better. There's some good songs like "Today", "Stay in Bed Days", "Sweet Pleasure", "Bad Bad Girl", and "Hold On" but the rest of the songs are pure simpel Melanie. I think she should try somethin' new and different. She has a great voice but somehow the songs in this album are mostly poor. Some songs like "Beautiful Girl" and "Say Say Say" make me feel tormented. So...please Mel...stop making these albums or make much better ones. I am such a Spice Girls fan that I must have all their solo albums, no matter how terrible they are. This album has only peaceful songs!!! I am happy that Geri's new album "Passion" was much much better.
Stars: Sweet Pleasure

This time around Brown offers her second album. An effort created in her own studio for her own record label. L.A. State Of Mind is exactly what it says. The album is very laidback, sometimes excessively. She offers sunny optimism of the single "Today," slight attitude on "Bad Bad Girl," and chilled ice on the title track.
Brown expresses the California haze with "Stay In Bed Days" and sings to her daughter "Beautiful Girl."
The album is not eager to please, it takes its time to grow and does not have standouts, except for "Music Of The Night (Perdido)," which has an infectious Latin beat. Then she revisits sensual `80s staccato with "Sweet Pleasure" and ends with the bleak ballad "Hold On"
This album is to be approached with caution. However, that is not to say that it is in anyway dire.

So you'd like to purchase Melanie Brown's latest album, "L.A. State of Mind"?
That's great! I love following the Spice Girl's solo endeavors, and they have all been wonderful for the most part. Emma, Victoria, Geri, and both Melanie's have surprised the fans with some pretty great music.
Melanie's first disc was an interesting funky album that, although came with a few skip-worthy tracks, was a very fresh, fun hip-pop album. The singles were well-written, with a great production team behind them, bringing out a sound that meshed well with Melanie's husky vocals.
Then there's her second disc.
I was so excited when I found "L.A. State of Mind", I ordered it immediately, paying nearly 30$ for the imported disc. It arrived, with a gorgeous cover of Ms. Brown, all beached out with hair extensions and shimmer, ready to sing about L.A. and life. I was so impressed and excited!
And then I turned it on.
To say that "L.A. State of Mind" is terrible from the get-go would be wrong. It starts with the first song, a cool mixture of funky strings and semi-tribal drums. "Something beautiful today is gonna happen" Melanie sings. Not so for the song, which after a couple lines of verse, the strings and cool beat run away, and in drops a chorus. A chorus with completely different instrumentation; a semi-rock, wannabe-pop, can't-be-either riff that isn't even catchy. All hope for the CD is lost, as I page through the other tracks, expecting the "more" that other fans had promised me.
One or two other tracks start off promisingly, with great instrumental intros, and then slink into the bad. A euro-sexy song might jump into an 80's ballad, complete with digital instruments from 20 years ago. A funky beach intro melts into a song that screams like it wants to be written like Sheryl Crow, but instead got stuck with Melanie Brown, her cowriters, and a terrible production team. This album has an 80s touch in certain spaces, a feel that no album should ever have when not produced right.
That's the main thing about this album that is bad: The production. Melanie's voice blended wonderfully with the songs on her first disc. Now she sounds like a fish out of water, airy and husky when she shouldn't be. Too much bad vibrato, too many melodies that would fit better in a garbage can somewhere, forgotten.
So basically, what I, as a reviewer, am suggesting to you, the listener of good music, is that you do not purchase this album.
If you can afford to take the risk that you most likely will be disappointed, then go for it. Buy it, and enjoy it.
Although this review of mine is doomed to have a "0 of # people found this review helpful" above it because of the ferocious loyalty of Spice fans like myself, try to be levelheaded.
I actually went through here before I bought the album, and hit "no" on all the negative reviews, before I had heard a single track! I'm glad I listened to the CD.
Whatever you decide, love it or hate it, is best for you.
But I absolutely hate it.

Melanie Brown has made a musical accomplishment over her first album, "Hot", but not a popularity accomplishment... Hot's highest chart position was in the 20's... not good for a spice... but then you look at "L.A. State of Mind"... A better album (without a doubt), but #453 is terrible. Amber Cafe, Melanie Brown, and the other spicers should be grimacing at this number. Terrible promotion and management.

01. Today - (4/5) - The worst selling single of the spices (Thank Amber Cafe's poor promotion for that) at #41, this song deserves better but I thought that "Stay In Bed Days" or the album title track would have made a better single for this album... It's a great song for those early mornings for work where you get up and are feeling disheveled, yet when you boost the stereo volume in your car, you are suddenly enlightened.

02. Stay In Bed Days - (5/5) - Could have been a top 10 single in my opinion (under the right promotion of course), this song has extreme potential with the theme everyone can relate to: Days you just want to shut everything out... is life worth living outside your home? "Is This Me? Is this what I'm really like?" and "Am I a misery? Have I lost it in L.A.?" are understandable questions. Musically, this song is uptempo and something you wanna sing out loud with the top down on the lonely or traffic road on the way to your next destination.

03. Beautiful Girl - (4/5) - This song has a beginning to it that sounds like an enhanced version of the motifs of India.Arie's "Voyage To India" tracks (Growth, Healing, Gratitude) and is probably directed towards Phoenix. A formidable song, but not my favorite.

04. Music of the Night - (4/5) - A lively beat. Four of five stars for the sole reason that Melanie Brown did not triumph over Emma's "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" in the Latin/Samba/Salsa category, but however, did overpower Geri's "Mi Chico Latino" (which to my opinion is a horrendous tune) and so it deserves its rating.

05. If I Had My Life Again - (5/5) - Last night, I had a dream. I dreamed my friends in choir and I all sang with my chorus teacher who sang lead vocal for this song and at the end said he had no regrets in quitting. This song's lyrics are incredible and to me, they're about Melanie Brown's accomplishments in the Spice world, her life with Jim, her daughter Phoenix, and her first solo album which tanked in the charts... It's a great piece.

06. In Too Deep - (4/5) - An airy piece which I rate for out of five stars for her creative cut off on "STOP." This song shows that she has grown as an artist and has conquered her life's problems. Pop as this track can sound, it beats some of Emma and Geri's pop songs.

07. Sweet Pleasure - (1/5) - An eleven track album has a weak link in this case... L.A. State of Mind would be #353 instead of one hundred lower in my eyes if this song were wiped from the planet. It's hardly worth one star... such a "Hot" sound...

08. L.A. State of Mind - (5/5) - I got this CD for the $26.99 in LA at tower records... West Hollywood/LA is the real State of Mind... (Gay baby shower at the nicest hotel got me this... praise my mother) Its beat is superior to Spice's "Holler" and is a laid back rhythm and blues that could be turned into a top 10 single... who doesn't want to hear of my beautiful city?

09. Say Say Say - (4/5) - This pop track holds its own with describing the qualities a man should have without sounding too much like "Hot" or "Sweet Pleasure".

10. Bad Bad Girl - (2/5) - Melanie Brown claims on the DVD that she loves this song because it goes rock... I hate this song because it goes nowhere... what is it REALLY about? The chorus is what's holding up 2 stars... that's it.

11. Hold On - (5/5) - Beautiful. (What? No paragraph on this track because it is impeccably wonderful?) Simply beautiful.

Overall, this album triumphs musically, but I don't think Melanie Brown will be allowed to produce a third album. She can thank "Hot" and "Amber Cafe" for this... Mel, take this sound to Virgin/EMI, and they JUST MIGHT TAKE YOU BACK! You can be as great as Emma, Geri, MELANIE C!!!