Customer Reviews

Letoya

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Prior to releasing her single "Torn" Letoya Lucket was best known as "Letoya Formerly of Destiny's Child," but with the success of her first single "Torn," Letoya stepped out of her past and into the present. "Torn" held down the number #1 spot on BET's 106 and Park for most of the summer. The second single "She Don't" is already gaining a fan base. It's a slightly laid back track and the video is currently in rotation. Her self-titled debut solo album is a solid effort, solid to the point that many of the album tracks could be singles. Stand out cuts on the album include "U Got What I Need," "So Special," and "Gangsta Grillz."

Letoya "The H Town Chick" mixes hip-hop & R&B on her debut which features cameos from some of the hottest Southern rappers in the game. Letoya's puts a spin on the 3-6 Mafia classic "Tear Da Club Up," on an all new version. Guest artists Bun B, Jazze Pha, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Mike Jones, and Killa Kyleon. The "Torn" remix which features Mike Jones and Rick Ross is included on the album as a bonus track.

The album includes production from Just Blaze, J.R. Rotem, Brian Michael Cox, Scott Storch. A nice touch is that the album includes the lyrics to the songs. You don't see that too often anymore. Letoya did very good with her debut album. If you like the first two singles released to radio you should be pleased with the album as a whole.

Letoya Luckett, as many already know, was an original member of the now legendary group Destiny's Child. After leaving the band for various reasons, she manages to find her way back into the industry as a solo artist. Hailing from Texas, this young lady is ready to make an impact with her first official debut album.

I know everybody and their momma is sick and tired of her already overplayed, beat into the ground single TORN, but that song displays Letoya's talents of singing and songwriting. Beautifully written and well sung, the song deserved to do what it did. And I know that it will undoubtedly lead to many album sales. The question is could this young singer deliver material up to par with her first single and maintain a consistent effort on her album.

For the majority of the album LeToya Luckett delivers beautifully. The songwriting on the album is very good and LeToya has a hand in nearly every song (I didn't check every single song). The beats are ridin and don't bore the listener. She balances the album out with enough uptempo club songs to compliment the slower songs. Some may not like the club songs because the feature star Texas rappers like Bun B, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug but for me they fit just fine and don't mess up the cd. Jermaine Dupri delivers again on THIS SONG with production genius and is arguably the best song on the album along with OBVIOUS, WHAT LOVE CAN DO, TORN, SHE DON'T, HEY FELLA, AND I'M GOOD. There is also a remix of Torn featuring Mike Jones and Rick Ross that comes as a bonus.

Overall, LeToya delivers one of the best R&B albums of the year and people shouldn't miss out on it. And as a bonus she put the lyrics in the book...a great thing to do. 5 stars.

LeToya, LeToya, LeToya. What more can I say? This R&B Diva has "talent" written all over her. Through these past couple of years in R&B, the music scene has been getting boring. It seems all these so called "singers" have been making teeny-bopper albums that are forgotten. Not this time. Meet LeToya Luckett, the R&B Sensation of the year. For the first in a while, I heard "Grown Folk" R&B. When I first put on LeToya's album, I was just in amazment of just the "Intro" of the album. Her vocals are so amazing its not even funny. This is serious. When "Torn", her lovelorn ballad was released back in late Febuary, I was amazed of how powerful her soprano was. I was saying to myself, "This woman is about to blow up. No wonder they kicked her out of Destiny's Child. She was the most talented child." The album is a beautiful blend of sensual Ballads, and Classic up-tempos. Take "Obvious" for example. LeToya evokes the emotion of the song effortlessly, as you can here the pain in her voice. The smooth, bedroom teaser "This Song" is a straight up classic on its own. How she blend '70s flavor with a mellow production is timeless. But, LeToya just doesn't sing all ballads, she knows how to get the club crazy too. The Houston anthem "Gangsta Grills" and the Scott Storch produced "I'm Good" have the streets on fire. Another contendor for Hip-Hop Soul while making "real" R&B music, LeToya has proved, she is an artist here to stay. There is a glycerin Ballad (U Got What I Need), a hot mid-tempo (She Don't), and a hot duet (Hey Fella w/ Slim Thug) that also Highlights the album. Anyone from 6-60 can enjoy this essential album.

There is 2 mistakes IMO tho, and that is the leftover tracks, "No More" and "Somethin' 4 Ya" not being on the album.
No More is an amazing Ballad that has stirring vocals.

With God by her side, her Destiny, has been fulfilled.

Top 5 Tracks:
1. Obvious/ Torn/ This Song
2. She Don't
3. You Got WHat I Need

If you thought Beyonce and Kelly were the only talented members of the original DC then Letoya surely puts that myth to rest with her debut. The CD starts out shaky but let me tell you track 6 thru 11 makes this CD. The club bangers she has with some big names in southern music and the slow serious song at track 11 lets you know she wasn't faking she was coming with the heat. Torn took sometime to grow on me when she released it but because it was played so much you had no choice but to like it. The album surpassed my expectations and is in heavy rotation. Trust me I bought Beyonce's B-DAY and Letoya's CD is much better. Fav tracks as stated before is track 6 thru 11. Go get it.

i listened to this album several times before i made an opinion. first of all i think all of the girls of destineys child past present and future are beautilful (except solange, loll). what i hate is how the current members treat Beyonce as if she is God the female version. Kelly puts her own career second to "B" always complimenting her and never taking pride in her own projects.

Letoya came out in her own right on this album. she didnt try to come out like "B". Letoyas voice hasnt developed yet to its full potential i think it can be... but she definately worked with what she got. my favorite song on this album is "what love can do". all of her songs have a message and not that pop fizz "B" puts out. 10 years from now i think i can go back to this cd and still sing the lyrics to some of the songs as oppose to "B" whom i cant even figure out what the hell the song Deja Vu is about through all the over singing.

Now most people say I may be pushing it by this comment but I believe that LeToya's debut is far better than Beyonce's first solo venture. Something I've noticed with LeToya is that she is original, she doesn't try to be the next "pop" sensation, she sticks to who she is with every song. I didn't actually think her debut would be as good as it is. She is just amazing. A must have!!

Letoya really did her thing on this album. I loved the singles "torn" and "she don't," but the cd is so much better. She touches on some real life issues and keeps it real. I love her style and overall delivery plus she is really humble and keeps god first. I wish you the best of luck Letoya no matter what the haters say you are truly the best.

This is the first cd since Ms. Houston's debut, that I can listen to without skipping tracks. Ballads, R&B, Hip-Hop girlie style, even the Intro and Outro are relatable! Toya's voice is pure, calm, and inviting. She doesn't over-sing, she delivers track after track after track. LeToya is a well-written, well thought out project. Her lyrics leave nothing to be desired. Her singing style is NOT contrived, in other words forced. Toya is a born Soprano, charming, intelligent, articulate, and humble...qualities evidenced by her music and presentation.

Standout Tracks are:

!!!Intro !!!everything in between!!! Outro!!!

Excellent debut effort. LeToya was well worth the wait.

**** rating because Toya has potential to grow into a solid five star artist if she paces herself and stays focused and grounded in her faith.

LeToya Luckett smoothly croons on her album intro that she's "been patiently waiting for [her] time. Now [she's] ready to go". A long absence it was, but her debut album is a true testament that good things come to those who wait. With this commendable first effort, LeToya validates her talent to people who only vaguely remember her as one of the ousted members of Destiny's Child, as well as those fans who've been anticipating her return to the industry for the past 6 years.
Beginning with the album intro, LeToya establishes the connection between herself and the music style of her hometown, Houston; this connection will reverberate throughout the album- complete with Houston collaborators, samples and chopped/screwed sounds- and set her apart from other female competitors. The intro, produced by LeToya's little brother, contains a really nice beat (it should have been lengthened to be a whole song) and also acquaints listeners with another theme for the album: LeToya's overt confidence. She chants "T-O-Y-A", claiming this album and this sound unabashedly as her own. This confidence also spills over into several songs on the album, probably a result of LeToya being influenced by hip-hop. One can almost liken her chants and musical swagger- which border on arrogant narcissism- to those commonly used by rappers. You can hear such on songs like "She Don't", "Tear the Club Up", "All Eyes on Me", "Hey Fella", and "Gangsta Grillz".
Album highlights include "So Special", a Teddy Bishop production. Though the lyrics are predictable, the production and the vocals carry the song and incite the listener to, just as the song encourages, participate by saying "He's so special". "Torn" is LeToya's first single for this project, an interesting choice since it's a ballad and contains a heavily used sample of the Stylistic's "You are Everything". Despite this, the song works: LeToya's vocals are heartfelt, and the chorus is catchy. Something about the song is relatable and compelling, the very reason why the song was a hit.
"What Love Can Do" is very much an uptempo version of "Torn", complete with the tale of heartbreak, a nice beat, and a catchy hook. The background vocals on this one really perfect the song. "She Don't" is LeToya's second single, produced by Walter Milsap and characterized by the infectious and sweet quality of Monica's "So Gone". LeToya sings about being the obviously superior choice over an ex's girlfriend, once again suggesting her confidence. The best part, aside from LeToya using her upper-register, is the beat flip used in the middle and end of the song.
Other favorites are celebrations on behalf of Houston, Texas. "Tear the Club Up (H-Town version)" asserts LeToya's confidence in a club setting and has LeToya bragging nonchalantly that she's "got [her] girls with [her] lookin' pretty in VIP", with Bun B's appearance topping off this club anthem nicely. "Gangsta Grillz" is the best of the string of "H-Town songs" on LeToya's album. The beat is very strong and gritty- it seems more appropriate for a rapper than a female singer- but LeToya croons along comfortably, with a little help from Mike Jones and Killa Kyleon. LeToya takes what could be a mediocre tribute to the love of cars and thugs and spins it, making it just as much about her and her hometown as she does about the "gangsta grillz". As the chopped beat pulses, LeToya sings, "Houston, you know what it do. Toya just too much for you." This song is very much single material and in the same vein of Ciara's "Oh".
The album then slows back down to a slow groove with "Obvious", a Brian-Michael Cox production. This is "Torn" with a bit more depth, as LeToya sings about being disillusioned about a relationship in which the man thinks a marriage proposal will soothe hurt wounds and ensure the relationship will stay in tact. LeToya begs to differ, maturely making a proposal of her own: to end the relationship. This song is marked by emotion and sincerity, and performed well by LeToya.
Because "LeToya" is purely an R&B/hip-hop album, it would be better to liken her album to efforts other than those of her former group mates. "LeToya" is a very solid album- especially for a debut- comparable to Mary J Blige's first two seminal albums, One in a Million by Aaliyah, or Monica's albums. The only missteps on "LeToya" are the lyrical quality- which lack complexity on many tracks, but are often made up for with sincerity, especially on the midtempos- and the absence of live instruments or a strongly heartfelt ballad. Praiseworthy is an album that is led off and heavily composed of songs not produced by the leading chart-toppers of the day. Though Jermaine Dupri, Jazze Pha, and Scott Storch appear on the album, most of the better songs are made by more obscure names.
Not since Teedra Moses' admirable but neglected debut, Complex Simplicity, has such a consistent album been released by a female R&B artist. LeToya makes her hometown, and fans from everywhere, acknowledge that her confidence musically is well-deserved. 8.5/10 stars.

Miss Letoya's album is defintely one of those albums you can listen to from song to song...The intro intrigues the listener to want more and follow her into her music journey. Letoya expresses her Soft side on songs like So Special Obvious and This Song..But she also tels you that love has it's ups & downs on songs like What love can do & Im Good and the hit single Torn. She definetly didnt forgot about taking it to the club on this album on songs like Gangsta Grillz with fellow Houston native Mike Jones. and also All eyes on me with another Houston Representa Paul Wall & also other club bangers include Tear da Club up with Bun B and Jazze Pha ..And on the sensuous Hey Fella which she hooked up with Slim Thug on.

The Outro leaves you with Letoya heartfelt overwhelming Gratitude for her Family & Fans...I can honestly say it's one of the, if not the best R&B/Soul Albums in a long time.