Nicole Renee

Nicole Renee | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• Original Release Date: September 15, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B00000AEDR
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #383,244 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

You wouldn't guess from the lyrics on Nicole Renée's self-titled debut that she's the daughter of a preacher. But while her full-o'-funk voice belts out lines like "I want somebody to talk dirty to me" and "I'd rather suffocate between your legs," she manages to avoid coming off like a freaky Adina Howard wannabe. There's gospel power (and training) behind these New Power Generation-esque tracks, and it works best on sensual grooves like "Rockin' Chair" and "Ugh!" or on plaintive slow jams like "How Many Times." The minimal instrumental arrangement of "Heaven" showcases the strength of Renée's often nasal voice, flitting between innocent and ethereal and a deeper yearning. Renée scores extra points for executive-producing the album and, with her distinct sound, for standing out from the R&B mini- divas like a diamond in the rough. --Rebecca Wallwork

The Source

Distinctively different, her vocal range includes Prince-like howling over meticulously composed instrumentals....

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where Is She Now?, August 6, 2002

By 

The Groove (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nicole Renee (Audio CD)

1998 saw the debut album of a then 23-year-old singer named Nicole Renee. Unlike the rest of the assembly-line twentysomething female vocalists out there, Renee impressively wrote her own material and played guitar on the album. An impressive collection of Prince-inspired funk, "Nicole Renee" fell on deaf ears, as is the case with almost all albums as bold as this. That's probably because her voice is an acquired taste and may require some getting used to. The steamy "Telephone" alternates between rock and funk and has our heroine singing in an apparrently altered voice that best recalls Prince's alter ego "Camille." Other standouts include "Rocking Chair" and "Boy Next Door." But the best track on the album is the single "Strawberry," a mid-tempo jam that swings between pop and r&b. Renee can probably perform rings around her multiplatinum peers, but she never had the luxury of a hype machine to help her get the recognition she deserved. But it's not too late to discover this artist who was one of the most slept-on singers of 1998.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, where are you Nicole Renee?, November 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Nicole Renee (Audio CD)

Just for a moment, forget that this is a debut. This album is plain incredible. Few albums are worthy of five stars; the list is very short. And "Nicole Renee" shows maturity, substance, a variety of styles, giving us rockers, soulful tunes out of the 60s/70s, funky offerings and ballads -- all styles she handles with both passion and ease. Now, know that this was her debut and the album is that much greater, but sadly, it's been her only album. Perhaps she was lost like many great artists are amidst the pop junk, amidst the mainstream, which only goes for the flavor-of-the-week, and those artists/albums that don't sound like everything else get lost, slip through the cracks and sadly, we don't hear from those artists again. Seems Nicole Renee is one of those victims of a mindless society. Find this album if you can, it's a true gem, one of the few great albums to come out of the mid-to-late 90s. Nicole Renee, we miss you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes its bitter sometimes its sweet, January 4, 2005

By 

Campbell "Campbell" (Lakeland,FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nicole Renee (Audio CD)

I love this album, I really do.The onyl reason I deducted one star was for the three songs I just dont like, the top one being Cocaine Lane..Girl is brave, the vocal runs she attempts almost head for disaster but somehow she pulls threw and comes off as quite skilled. I love Strawberrys,Aint Nothin Changed,Heaven, and boy next door. I however know that this is nto an album for everyone.Myself however, loves it