Customer Reviews

Michel'Le

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Michel'le was one of those diamonds in the ruff type singers. Blessed with a beautiful single voice, but a squeaky talking one as well. While this album was a perfect 10, she just wasn't promoted right. Everyone's familiar with all of her fast tracks: "Nicety", "No More Lies", and "Keep Watching", but it was the ballads that blew me away on this CD. Those songs alone should have made this CD triple platinum: "Close To Me", "Something In My Heart", "Silly Love Song", and "If". This is a CD that should not be overlooked by any music lover out there if your into real soul music. Michel'le, where-ever you are, you need to come back and bless us with some more music cause your definately "100 PERCENT WOMAN!"...Sdeez

This LP came out when I was little and I loved the tape so much. The thing is, I really only loved the uptempo songs! Not just the popular "No More Lies" and "Nicety" because "Keep Watchin" was my jam! Recently I bought the CD and I am in love all over again. I love having Old School night at my place and right along with Aretha, Marvin and Al is my trusty Michel'le! "If", "Something in My Heart" and "Silly Love Song" are timeless classics. Now my favorite song is the one that I always overlooked, until I went through the drama myself. The heartfelt "Close to Me" is throbbing with passion coming through my speakers and I listen to it "every night before I go to sleep". This is one underrated woman with talent these young girls could only fantasize about. It would be nice to hear from her again.

There are very few albums, that are not "greatest hits", where you hear top songs from beginning to end! Miche'le's album is such a gem.

"Nicety","If", "Something In My Heart" and "Keep Watching" to name a few, are all works of vocal art...not to mention production mastery from Dr. Dre. I think the only thing more enjoyable than her singing voice is her 'Betty Boop' speaking voice.

Michel'le, come back...we miss you!

"Some people listen to remember, some people listen to forget".

It's things like this..that upset me...michel'le..I still can't uderstand why she did'nt blow the hell up? This album was soooooo tight! Every song is bangin'....she had a strong voice...all of the fast cuts are "everybody to the dancefloor" material & then she catches you off guard w/ her ability to come right back & bring dignity to the slow cuts! Silly love song is soooo beautiful....just the memories alone that accompany this album are worth it...it is ashame that Death Row did'nt market her as much as they did snoop & Dr. Dre...but...her 2nd album is nothing compared to this one...I don't think anyone on Death Row knew how to bring any tracks to complement her voice..Dr. Dre was already gone by then...will somebody find MICHEL'LE & sign her ..I know she could outsing all these so called "divas" of today! SHE IS DEFINATELY 1OO% WOMAN!

I recognize what Mary has done for the "hip hop soul" genre, but umm....didn't Jodeci come out before her? And let's not forget that Bell Biv Devoe's multiplatinum debut was "hip hop smoothed out on the r&b tip with a pop feel appeal to it" despite their constantly being mislabeled as new jack swing artists (just peep the album -- crazy hip hop beats). If you want to go back even further, one could argue that New Jack Swing is the father of hip hop soul because acts like Bobby Brown, Tony Toni Tone, En Vogue, and plenty others were either rapping themselves or using rappers in their songs and many other acts before Mary were rapping and blurring the lines between the two genres. I think there are plenty of artists that helped create the "lane" that Mary is currently driving in. In other words, Mary wasn't first and she gets WAY too much credit. She took a title that was thrust upon her by the biggest shark in the industry (let's face it, Puffy doesn't have an original bone in his body), and ran with it. He got the idea from someone else, trust. And, naturally, the albums have two different sounds...there's a three (almost four) year gap in between the two releases ('89 & '92). Anyone that knows anything about hip hop (or soul, for that matter) knows that this was the period in which the sound of hip hop and r&b as a whole were turning in a different direction -- it went from a fun, party vibe (like Kid N Play, De La, or Dana Dane) to a more hardcore, gangsta sound (Snoop, EPMD, Ice Cube, Geto Boys, etc). I will give her this much, she did rap on her album....but so did Bobby Brown. You could also argue that Michel'le's debut was indeed a hip hop soul album because when it came out in '89, the uptempo joints on her album sounded precisely like what hip hop sounded like at that time.

Oh, and Michel'le's album is dope. Hands down. Her voice was great and the album is of high quality. Jams like Nicety, If, No More Lies, and the timeless slow jam Something In My Heart not only show off the woman's incredible vocal range, but also show Dr. Dre's range as a producer (something that he rarely shows anymore). I highly recommend adding this album to your collection...dated or not. Oh, and Michel'le did make a second album. It's entitled Hung Jury back in '98 and I think it was released on Death Row records....but don't quote me.

Peace.

This album is good all the way through ,based on the time it was released in 1989. The slow songs featured on this album are among my all time favorites, such as "If" & "Silly Love Song". The song writing is better than I expected from a Rap record company, and the Piano playing on "If" is very good. A solid buy.

Michel'le didn't blow up because she was ahead of her times and Dr. Dre was no longer at Death Row to help her with the beats. Songs like "No More Lies", "Nicety" and "Something In My Heart" confirms that she had what it took to be a top diva.

I really love this cd even today. I did pick up Michele's 2nd cd when she returned to Death Row around 1998 & although it hits hard, it doesn't feel the same as the 1st one. Her voice is one that should have been heard everywhere (like Lisa Fisher) but it looks like thats not going to happen.

Michel'le is best known as being the squeaky voiced girl who ran with N.W.A. and their posse in the late '80s. She signed with Eazy E's Ruthless label and recorded her self-titled debut right before N.W.A. broke up, and Dr. Dre was summoned to be the producer. What a combination! Michel'le scored three huge hits ("no more lies", "nicety", something in my heart"), mainly on her distinct sound and Dre's delightful beats.

Even though the hip-hop cuts were the big hits, the story of this album is the slow jams. The first one that comes to mind is the seductive "Close to Me". Not only is it my favorite track on the album, but it's one of my favorite slow jam tracks of all-time! It's a real gem for the late-night snuggle up. Other noteworthy tracks include "If" and "100% Woman".

Overall, michel'le should have become a major star, as she handled hip-hop and balladry with equal conviction. Unfortunately, she was cursed with bad timing, as dr. dre split from eazy on bad terms and moved to death row at the height of her popularity. To make matters worse, Michel'le was involved in a fiasco that took a toll on her career. Nevertheless, this is one of the last great albums featuring the west coast sound. A great purchase for fans of the west coast sound or g-funk.

Michel'le was hot back in the day and this CD is very good. She came out with a 2nd album sometime in the mid-1990s, but she didn't get much exposure. To this day I wonder if her Minnie Mouse talk was just a gimmick or if that *really* was the way she sounded.