Customer Reviews

Never Say Never

5 star:		(291)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

Top 5 Reasons this is one of the best CDs: 5. Wrote it herself: Brandy wrote almost all of the songs on this CD, which I appreciate musically, because many artists are just in a hurry to make a CD and sell it, so they don't even try to write their own songs. Brandy does try, and succeeds enormously. 4. It's not all happy-ever-after: Too many R&B and pop singers are just spreading around the fake "ooh baby, I finally found you and everything's perfect and we'll live happily ever after together with absolutely no problems at all." Life's not like that, and music is usually about life- at least R&B music is. Brandy covers all emotions: not just feeling happy that you found your "one true love." 3. Good tunes: Not only are the feelings and emotions in the lyrics great, but she has also written great tunes to fit them. Not many song-writers can do both, and it enhances the CD so much. 2. Good Role-Model: Brandy isn't one of those female singers that gets up on stage to show off her body. She is actually wearing real clothes on the CD cover, and the songs aren't sex-centered. 1. All Clean: While keeping the real rythym and blues feel, Brandy still keeps the lyrics clean. There's absolutely no profanity in the whole CD at all. Instead of comparing Brandy with Monica and other female R&B singers, enjoy the music: You can't have too much of a good thing, so why complain about artists singing the same type of music?

Brandy, Brandy, Brandy, two words come to mind. TRUE DIVA. Brandy's work on "Never Say Never" is astonishing. I totally love her to death. It's been two years since she has released this album and it is still as good since the day it was first released it.

She has laid down tracks that are true pieces of work in music history. "Have You Ever," excellent pop ballad that pretty much everyone can relate to. The song, "Almost Doesn't Count," is my favorite on the album. This song truly shows her outstanding vocal talent and how it matches well with accompanying harmonic beats. Excellent message represented in the song "Sitting On Top of The World" and the hot "department-storish" single "Angel in Disguise" is also among my favorite. "The Boy Is Mine" which was the duet with Monica was pretty good.

Brandy is such an absolutely beautiful girl who is such a positive role model in the music industry. She has such a nice outlook on life and her image is lovely. She's been raised quite well from her parents. I've been a fan of Brandy since she came out with her first album. And I'm anxiously awaiting some more new stuff from her. She's not only a great singer but also a great actress. I've been forever a fan of her UPN show Moesha. Brandy keep up the great work...your wonderful image and beautiful personality have inspired many individuals across the country to follow in your footsteps. By following positive aspirations and dreams in life. It's great to have such a grounded performer in the music industry today!

"Never Say Never" by Brandy receives a Kenny rating of A+. Excellent Album....Trust me you will have fun with this one.

When Brandy dropped her debut in the fall of 1994, she was the first 90s R&B solo artist to successfully mix her sound with pop music without trying to sound like she desperately wanted to cross over. With ultra-catchy singles like, "I Wanna Be Down", "Baby", "Best Friend", and "Brokenhearted", Brandy Norwood's rise to fame was swift, yet solid. In 1995, Brandy even blessed the Babyface-produced 'Waiting To Exhale' soundtrack with "Sittin Up In My Room". Then in 1998, Brandy dropped this jewel of an album, featuring incredible production by the soon-to-be "most wanted" hitmaker, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. I firmly believe (especially after hearing Brandy's latest single, "What About Us") that Rodney Jerkins saves his best work for Brandy.

The type of sonic chemistry shared between Rodney Jerkins and Brandy on the 'Never Say Never' album is strikingly reminiscent of the musical synergy created two years earlier by Timbaland and the late Aaliyah on the 'One In A Million' project. Both 'Never Say Never' and 'One In A Million' were sophomore projects, and both Brandy and Aaliyah had reinvented themselves (new look, new sound) for their second albums. Also, both 'One In A Million' and 'Never Say Never' were marked improvements over their notably successful predecessors.

We begin with the "Never Say Interlude" that employs Timbaland-esque studder beats really well. Then, we're off into the dark, misty, and mysterious-sounding "Angel In Disguise", a jaded, bittersweet midtempo (featuring vocals by R&B singer Joe) that kicks off this album perfectly. Next up is "The Boy Is Mine", a duet with R&B singer Monica. Back in the spring of 1998, this song was a bona-fide hit, and an MTV staple. By September however, a very real "beef" had developed between Brandy and Monica, culminating in an extremely tense performance at that year's Video Music Awards. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), a future collaboration between Brandy and Monica is highly unlikely.

"Learn The Hard Way" is a guitar-laced, decent midtempo that oh-so-perfectly segues into "Almost Doesn't Count" which ended up becoming the album's fourth U.S. single. "Almost Doesn't Count" (like much of this album) has a "grown-up" feel to it. No more happy tunes like 1994's "I Wanna Be Down"...this album is all about heartache, pain, and a little bit of fun. "(Sittin On) Top Of The World" served as the album's second U.S. single. Featuring Bad Boy rapper Mase, this uptempo number addressed "haters" in a fun, lighthearted way; I like this one. "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)" was the fifth (and sadly overlooked) U.S. single...but I liked the remixes better than the original.

"Never Say Never" (the title track) was one of my favorites when I first heard it, and it still sounds as refreshingly crisp to me as it did back in 1998. However, my absolute favorite song on this album is track #9, "Truthfully". Written and produced by Marc Nelson (former lead singer of Az Yet), "Truthfully" is a beautifully arranged ballad that sounds as serene as a secluded, shimmering pond in the still of a warm summer night.

"Have You Ever?" was Brandy's hugely successful third U.S. single, and also a huge hit on MTV. "Put That On Everything" is a decent slow jam. After a spoken interlude, we go into "Happy", a song I felt should have definitely been a single; I've even heard it being played on occasion in a few department stores. "One Voice" is a surprisingly strong inspirational ballad, with powerful vocals by both Brandy and the splendid choir put together for this song. "One Voice" is easily one of the best songs on the album...

On "Tomorrow", Brandy gives her best vocal performance to date on this sad, yet empowering song about moving on from a less than satisfying relationship. Featuring lyrics like: "goodbye sorrow, I won't cry no more", a ballad like "Tomorrow" sounds like it was inspired from a real experience. In my opinion, "Tomorrow" should have been followed by an interlude, and closed the album. But no, we're given what I consider a bonus cut (and the album's only real misstep), in the form of an update of Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" that unfortunately doesn't quite live up to the original...oh well.

It took me almost four hours to write and edit this review...I really wanted to get this right. I could write a whole lot more (believe me), but I think I'll end it here for your sake (smile). In a nutshell, this is a wonderfully consistent album...pretty much every song here is top-notch. If you love Pop/R&B music, then I highly recommend this album be added to your collection. Grade: A

Thanks for reading!

Knyte, aka C.H.R.

I seldom buy a CD because of one song, but when "The Boy is Mine" came out, I had to get "Never Say Never". This is a great album for an even greater Singer. Brandy has a very unique voice, and the songs on the album compliment her voice exceptionally. From the upbeats of "Angel in Disguise", "The Boy is Mine" and "Happy" to the soothing "Put that on Everything", "Everything I do" and "One Voice", this is just a great SUMMER album to have.

This is one fantastic album. Brandy's sultry, wonderous voice soothes the soul, and strikes the heart. There are some absolutely amazing songs on this album. My fav's include The Boy is Mine, Almost Doesn't Count, Top of the World, Truthfully, Have you Ever?, One Voice, Tomorrow, and I Do It For You... which is pretty much half the album. And the rest is great as well. Brandy does a beautiful ballad, and there are enough of this album to keep me happy. I don't think you could possibly go wrong with this album, and it's gotta be one of my best buys this year. Get it, and enjoy!

The first I'd ever heard of Brandy was when I saw her duet with Monica, 'The Boy Is Mine' on TV. From this I became a fan of both artist. Brandy's 'Never Say Never' is a mixture of funk and gospel and is one of the few R&B albums that manages to appeal to the pop market yet retain its roots at the same time, much like Janet Jackson.

There are plenty of stand-out tracks, especially 'One Voice' (with Bebe Winans and his gospel choir) and the fantastic 'Top Of The World' with rapper Ma$e. Unlike Mariah Carey, Brandy doesn't let the rappers overpower her fantastic vocals and each song is produced neatly. One big surprise though would have to be Brandy's cover version of Bryan Adams '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You', which Bryan Adams himself said was the best cover of his famous song. Others I like are "Angel in Disguise," "Almost Doesn't Count," "Never Say Never," "Truthfully, Have you Ever?" and the cover of "Everything I do (I do it for you)."

That pretty much covers everything on the album except the so-called "Filler" tracks which include "Learn The Hard Way," "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)," "Happy" and "Tomorrow." According to me they are "fillers" but you should listen to them and hear it for your self. I believe she could have worked on them more, 'cause they had good potential to really make this album flow together more nicely. Other than that I would recommend this album to you, especially if your an avid Brandy fans.

Brandy's second album was 10x better than the first! I can listen to each song without skipping and I rarely do that. of all her albums, this was by far her best work

This is her best album ever and will always will be. The mixing is excellent. Her vocals are more mature and has feeling that her 3rd album doesn't have (aside from "Nothing") but that's a different story. Every song is meshed with her soulful vocals and relaxing music that makes want to continuously listen to this album from 1 to 16. I love the fact that many of her songs run together to give that feeling of a story told by Brandy on a music album. If you're thinking about getting an album by Brandy, buy this one, if you're into real R&B. Full Moon is techno feeling. Her 1st album sounded popish. This is a keeper!

I did, I really did! By the time this album was released, Brandy was everywhere! Television, radio, magazine after magazine... it was ridiculous. Though she deserved the exposure, I just didn't feel like looking at her or hearing from her at the time... I was Brandied-out! So when this album was released, I tried my best not to buy it. Of course, there was no denying "The Boy is Mine," so I bought the single, hoping this would be all I needed from the album, until I heard someone bumpin' "Angel In Disguise" in their car... that's when I gave in. That song is hot! At the time, I'd never really heard anything quite like it before, so I was hooked! After buying the album, tracks 2 - 8, 13 and 15 were playing in my room constantly. There was no denying Brandy's growth on this album and the power of Rodney's production. The reason for the 4 stars ( actually 4 1/2 ) is, though Brandy matured on this album and took her career to a new level, her voice just didn't seem to follow the same direction... it actually seems like it took a step backward. It comes off whiny at some points, that's probably why my friends and I were always fighting over who was going to sing Monica's part in "The Boy is Mine."

After four years of listening to this album, the songs that still sound fresh or interesting are "Almost Doesn't Count," "Angel in Disguise," "The Boy Is Mine," and "Learn the Hard Way." The other ones aren't as interesting as they were 4 years ago. All in all, this is a very solid album and deserves all of the acclaim. Unfortunately, Brandy's follow-up doesn't bring any growth in the material, though her voice definately matured. Hopefully she'll put all of the elements into play on the next one.

Brandy's 1998 album NEVER SAY NEVER is truly an album to own if you are a fan of the R&B genre. This is when Darkchild was at his best, a flavor he lost in the years to follow. The first single, and title track with Monica, is the perfect song to introduce people to the album with. Monica and Brandy really compliment each other on this tale of betrayal and mistrust. "Angel In Disguise" is a funky set, with some catchy lyrics and a memorable hook. "Learn The Hard Way" is also very cutting edge too. "Almost Doesn't Count" is a nice midtempo song, with a tint of regret painted in it, and telling the man how it is in the relationship. Brandy treats us to some top notch ballads, namely "Truthfully", "Put That On Everything" and "Have You Ever", which she shines on. "Happy" is a really funky R&B jam which would have been great as a single. "One Voice" is very gospel like, and Brandy has never sounded better. "Tomorrow" is also a really nice ballad. She ends with a cover of Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)", which she handles gracefully. NEVER SAY NEVER is where its at, give it a listen!