Customer Reviews

Thought Ya Knew

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After listening to "Finally", I bought her sophomore effort, "Thought 'Ya Knew". I was surprised, and a little disappointed to discover that CeCe pulled almost a complete 180 and recorded mostly R&B tracks. Let's take a closer look...

1. Searchin (10/10): This song is damn catchy. Maybe it's the beat, maybe the vocals, but something about the song makes you want to listen to it over and over.

2. I'm In The Mood (East 87th St. Mix): (9/10): That's strange. The remix of the song is here, but the original cut isn't. So I have nothing to compare it too. Oh well. This is a good remix (I guess).

3. Hit By Love (10/10): Yes! Here it is. Miss CeCe shows a return to form with this house classic! The beats are thumpin and the bass is pumpin' just like a house track should. And it still could hold its own with the house records of today.

4. Whatever It Is (7/10): Your typical, run-of-the-mill, mid-90s slow jam. Nothing special.

5. Forever In My Heart (7/10): Something about this song (probably the electric piano) makes this song very dated, like you KNOW that this song came from 1994. Nevertheless, her vocals carried it.

6. I'm Not Over You (9/10): This song is a lot like "Keep On Walkin'", which is probably why I like it so much.

7. Any Way You Wanna Go (10/10): This track is the second house track of the album. Yes, it's house. Hip house (hip hop + house) is an older form of house, so I can forgive this one for sounding dated.

8. Give What I'm Givin' (6/10): Very generic.

9. Through Those Doors (7/10): Less generic, and I like the reggae feel of the song.

10. Let My Love Surround You (6/10): The beat doesn't seem to match the vocals. It sounds like it should be a ballad.

11. Keep Givin' Me Your Love (10/10): The third, and last house track of the album. This is the most jazzy of the three. I like it a lot. It's so LONG, but I can live with that.

12. If You Love Me, I Will Love You (7/10): Another pretty generic 90s ballad. But her voice once again carries it.

13. Maybe It's The Way (10/10): The last ballad of the album, but the first one that doesn't sound dated. It's absolutely beautiful.

14. I Will Be Received (9/10): A good closer. This is a very spiritual track.

Slammin' trax on this one I thought I heard them all. Listening to #6-9, joy, joy, joy to my ears. She shows her spiritual side on #14, get into this album deep. Hey, I thought ya knew?!

Thought'ya knew is Ce Ce Peniston's best album in my opinion I remember buying her debut Finally and loved it and it actually turned me into a Ce Ce fan. The first single Hit by love is a high energy dance tune that will get you on the dance floor. The jazzy I'm in the mood is a fine funky jam that should have been a big hit for Ce Ce but still a cool song was also featured on the Hit by Love cd single. On to the ballads Whatever it is is the "Inside that I cried" of this album should have also been a single. Forever in my heart is the most beautiful ballad on the album it kind of sounded like the Freddie Jackson hit You are my lady to tracks like the fun through those doors and Searchin' It's really a shame that Ce Ce hasn't put out any more albums {Her most recent album being I'm moving on} Hope to be hearing from Ce Ce Penston in the future but overall a good dance album. Enjoy

This is one of those cd's that people just passed by. Did they ever make a mistake when they did that. Almost every track on here is a winner. My personal favorites being "Hit By Love", "I'm In The Mood" and "I'm Not Over You". A few of these songs are a little bit on the cheesy side, but everyone needs some cheese in their lives now and then. I reccomend this one - if you liked "Finally", you should like this cd as well.

This is her second album! it's a great one too! I own it and I absolutely love it. This album showcases her musical zenith, perfectly matching fashion requirements with creative aspirations. She's in perfect soulful harmony on this album and provides a cutting edge groove for the dancefloors. Although Thought 'Ya Knew didn't earn the success of her debut Finally, still it did serve to establish her as being more capable of straightforward R&B balladry. On this album she co-authored 3 of the album's fourteen tracks. Songs like "I'm In The Mood," "Anyway You Wanna Go," "Hit By Love" and "I'm Not Over You" are definitive examples of dance soul at its very best. This one's a must have for any lover of R&B, hip hop or dance music. Get this today if you don't already have it!

THIS IS A MUST HAVE CD FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE HER "FINALLY" AND FANS OF R&B/HOUSE& CLUB/DANCE.THE SONGS ARE JUST AS INFECTIOUS AS EVERYTHING ON HER DEBUT CD. MY FAVOURITE TRACKS ARE "I'M IN THE MOOD" & "HIT BY LOVE" AND THE WHOLE CD. A VERY WELL ROUNDED SECOND EFFORT. GET YOUR COPY OF "THOUGHT 'YA KNEW" TODAY ! CHECK OUT THESE SIMILAR CD'S: ANN NESBY-"LOVE IS WHAT WE NEED{THE DANCE ESSENTIALS}", CRYSTAL WATERS-"CRYSTAL WATERS", PEBBLES-"STRIAGHT FROM THE HEART", JADE-"MIND, BODY & SONG",JOMANDA-"SOMEONE TO LOVE ME",RICK ASTLEY-"GREATEST HITS", PAULA ABDUL-"HEAD OVER HEELS", ZHANE-"SATURDAY NIGHT", SAMANTHA FOX-"JUST ONE NIGHT" & REGINA BELLE-"STAY WITH ME". SIGNED... MUSIC FAN.

Incredible energy and vocal talent makes this one dance cd worth having. "Hit By Love" and "Keep Givin' Me Your Love" are the highlights, but each song is top notch. CeCe has ended up becoming one of my all time favs, and one listen to this under-appreciated album, and you'll love her too!

Cece Peniston is not a household name. Very few people who I come in contact with remember who she is unless they're GAY and/or within a certain age bracket. Her most remembered and most commercial single of her career was the first song she ever released which was titled 'Finally' from her 1991 debut album of the same title. Other major singles were 'Keep On Walkin' which was also from her debut album and 'I'm Not Over You' from the 1994 follow up (Thought Ya' Knew), Both songs were well known hits but not as much as the powerful debut single. The song 'I'm In the Mood' is another single from (Thought Ya' Knew) that is vaguely remembered depending on who you talk to.

Cece Peniston had a large following of "Predominatley" effeminate GAY males who got into Madonna, Ru Paul, Janet Jackson, Lisa Stansfield, Crystal Waters, C+C Music Factory, Black Box, Technotronic, & Inner City just to name a few. The demograghic who enjoyed Cece Peniston's music also enjoyed Voguing, Drag Shows and Big City Life in the early 90's. Cece Peniston's music was included on many house music compilations and Various Artists releases all through the 90's. She did many guest appearances at Gay pride events performing her most remembered song 'Finally'. She only released 3 albums and she's had a long list of singles that she recorded by themselves with no home album (all of which were good btw).

Now that you're semi educated on who Cece is we can move on to the greatness of this spectacualar album. The sophomore follow up to 1991's release (Finally),(Thought Ya' Knew). (Thought Ya' Knew) is comprised of Upbeat Pop, RnB, House music, Passionate slow songs and a token ballad. Cece Peniston's vocal performance has been compared to Teena Marie's in some aspects by several different listeners whom I know personally. Her style is a more quality version of Robin S. in my own opinion. She has that soulful voice that was typically heard in House Music in the early 90's (Black Box, Snap!) yet was still very distinctive. Cliche' but very true.

My top favorites from this album are The opening track 'Searchin' which is one of the major highlights and most remembered because of it's placement on the album. 'Keep Givin' Me Your Love' "Let My Love Surround You' 'Forever In My Heart' & 'I Will Be Recieved'. The singles 'I'm In The Mood' and 'I'm Not Over You' are automatic favorites and are what pushed most consumers to purchase the album in the first place. Unless they just enjoyed the first one and purchased this one simply because of the name on it. 'Forever In My Heart' is the token teary eyed ballad composed by Mr. Brian McKnight. He did such a beautiful job with this song, the instrumental is so precious and heartfelt. He's also lending background vocals on this song and he's showcasing his ability to harmonize. It's the only one of it's kind on the album. 'I Will Be Recieved' shows a more spiritual side of Cece lyrically with a choir backing her up and concluding the album.

If you do not already own the debut record I would strongly encourge you to purchase it. You can't have one without the other, And if you enjoy or enjoyed this album you most likely would enjoy the debut aswell. So you don't want to miss out on it.

When CeCe Peniston's debut album dropped in 1992, I was into NWA, D.J. Quick, CMW and other artists... I DID remember "Keep On Walkin", which I really, really liked, and I do remember the cute little round-faced young lady who sang the song... But, it pretty much stopped at that. Yet, I was aware of who CeCe Peniston was! It wasn't until a few years later, when I kept hearing a fantastic "bumber" ( or transition song ) on the Stephanie Miller talk show that I was led to discover CeCe Peniston again... I DID NOT know who the artist was, however. Then Stephanie Miller went off the air for a couple of years. Then, she came back, and so did that bumper. So, I was able to grab some of the lyrics to now "Google" the lyrics, and much to my surprise - Bingo: It was CeCe Peniston! The song: "We Got a Love Thang!" I immediately purchased her debut CD on Amazon, and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by that CD... So much so that I purchased this CD... I DID NOT KNOW that she was this good!!! And that she also sang at Aretha Franklin's Birthday, as well as for president Clinton, in addition to meeting Pope John Paul. So, I soon got around to purchasing her THIRD CD as well. I absolutely LOVE this woman and highly recommend ALL THREE of her CDs. You can't miss. And each one will make you feel a bit better when you need a little lift.

One of the cutest, most likeable, and vocally talented dance divas ever, this second album from CeCe Peniston may not have spawned her biggest hit (Finally), but as a whole, it's definitely her most listenable album. Great throughout, best songs include "I'm Not Over You", "Hit By Love" (her most infectiously danceable thing after "Finally"), "Searchin", "I'm In The Mood", and the downtempo, gospel-ish "I Will Be Received". An album definitely worth hearing many times.