Customer Reviews

Unexpected

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

 

 

This former one-hit wonder from Connecticut can now amend and extend her resume by one more hit with the first single from her second album. The single "She's Like the Wind" was originally performed by Patrick Swayze, and was also covered by David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff, but this version coverts a part of the song to rap and features vocals by Tony Sunshine.

Another song that I found interesting was the duet with Shaggy, covering the Roberta Flack hit "Feel Like Making Love", but with a reggae spin. Lumidee's vocals match well with Shaggy on this one, which I actually prefer to the first single. A good dance track is "Crazy" featuring Pitbull, and you might also like "The Whistle Song" featuring Wyclef Jean. Other fairly good tracks are "Cute Boy" and "Did You Imagine".

This album is okay, largely due to the guest artistes, but not exactly outstanding, which is precisely what we expected. Rated: 3.5 stars


Amanda Richards, May 5, 2007

Lumidee came out back in 2003 with a song called "Never Leave You". Although she really couldn't sing, the song became a hit anyway, possibly due to the fact that all songs featuring that beat were getting enormous airplay (Sean Paul's "Get Busy"; Wayne Wonder's "No Letting Go"). After her follow-up single "Crashin' a Party" went absolutely nowhere, she disappeared. But now she re-emerges with Unexpected.

Lumidee's singing is a tad better, but she still isn't quite there. But much of the time she RAPS on here, and she's not that great at THAT either. Actually, she doesn't sound terrible, but, well, she doesn't sound any different from any other female MC. This is especially shown on the disposable "So Cool...Hollywood".

The only song that really stands out to me is "Stuck On You" (except for in the chorus where she says: "It's true/I can't get past it too"; did we not get As in English class?). Most of the rest of the songs are forgettable, like "Passin' Thru", "He Told Me" and "Caught Up"; and "Cute Boy" is a song I wish I COULD forget. Guest rappers also fail to add life to the songs, like N.O.R.E. ("You Got Me"), Snoop Dogg ("In It For the Money"), and Jim Jones ("I'm Up"). There are also some badly done clubbish makeovers to classic songs, like Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" and Patrick Swayze's "She's Like the Wind" (featuring Shaggy and Tony Sunshine, respectively).

Speaking of that, there is an obligatory end-of-album Spanglish-version-of-the-first-single on here. I can't really call this sophomore album from Lumidee unexpected because that would suggest that I was anticipating it to be good. Yeah, it's better than Almost Famous, but that really ain't saying much.

Anthony Rupert

no offense but this girl has little talent and i don't understand why this album came out. uh ohh sucked too. don't understand why this age group can't grasp the concept of real music. they hear so much crap they take the less of all the evils and call it great.

i think people will still bump some of this cd because the beats are nice. but unless you can turn the beat up load enough to drown out her failed singing attempts, you'll be assaulting your ears needlessly. take my advice and stay away unless you feel the need to drown your sorrows in a pathetically, schizophrenic mix of music.

Here is my track by track review:

1. Intro
Can't really rate the intro LoL

2. So Cool...Hollywood 10/10
Wow. This song is so good the beginning has such a strong impact. Very strong and very good flow. Her voice is really good on it and I just love it.

3. In It For The Money (F/ Snoop Dogg) 10/10
Hot flo. Perfect match. The beat is just sick one of them summer ridahs. Amazing.

4. Cute Boy 10/10
So smooth. Aww i wanna be under a palm tree. Smooth reggae track. Lyrics are nice. Just one of those songs you have to enjoy.

5. She's Like The Wind (F/ Tony Sunshine) 10/10
Lumidee has some really good flow on this song. The remake is the best one yet. This song is classic. Tony's voice is perfect and this is the first single from the album.

6. Feel Like Making Love (F/ Shaggy) 10/10
Another enjoyable reggae track. But this one has something special about it. I believe its the tone Lumidee has in her voice. It perfect and Shaggy just adds to the reggae effect. AMAZING.

7. Stuck On You 9/10
Lumidee takes it down a notch with this slow R&B joint. Very good track smooth and good meaning.

8. Caught Up 8/10
Fairly different. Beat is good but there is something missing. Still hot.

9. Crazy (F/ Pitbull) 10/10
Damn just get up and dance. With this fast dancehall riddim this joint will get you on your feet in no time. Then Pitbull comes in with his funny rhymes. Very hot.

10. Could Be Anything 9/10
I love her flow on this track. Lumidee gives us some of her rap on it but you get the same sense you get from her song thats on this c.d. "Caught Up".

11. You Got Me (F/ N.O.R.E.) 10/10
One of my favorites on this track. It has "ABC, 123" flow. Love it. This whole song is amazing down till the last second. N.O.R.E. actually does really good on this one.

12. The Whistle Song (8/10)
Ya ok. Um the title kinda of gives us the effect of a really good track but its ok. Wyclef helps on this one. Its good but it just doesnt catch to me. If you like Wyclefs stuff you will definitly like this.

13. I'm Up (F/ Jim Jones) 10/10
Love the little kid-chipmunk voice. Love this gangsta joint. Jim Jones adds his "BALLIN" flow to this one and it works out. HOT

14. He Told Me 10/10
Yeah some more reggae. Lumidee is rapping on this one alot. Its so good, her flow is good and the chorus is perfect.

15. Did You Imagine 10/10
Now this is the song of the album. Reggaeton with a touch of smooth reggae. Perfect mix. Lumidee does such a good job singing this track. Anyone will like this track with its latin tinged guitar strings.

16. Passin' Thru 10/10
Love the feeling this song gives you. Lumidee sends a message across about people she has lost and how she is coaping with it. Just an uplifting song with a sweet beat.

Bonus: She's Like The Wind (F/ Tony Sunshine) (Spanglish Version) 10/10
Just like the original its so hot but with the spanish it gives it another awsome effect.


Over all Rating: 96/100
Defintily recommended. Go out and buy it its worth it.

I think All Music Guide hit the nail on the head with their review as far as Lumidee goes. It is pretty difficult to create a sophomore album after being known as a one-hit wonder, even more so finding out you have arthritis. But out of the blue, Lumidee literally comes back into game once again, this time with TVT on her side. This means you also get hit (Pitbull and Snoop) and miss (N.O.R.E. and Jim Jones) rappers to collaborate with. The album has good songs in some spots, but on a whole comes off as uneven and slightly unconvincing. Unexpected is way better than Almost Famous on all amounts, but comes off too easily as "I'm getting it, but I'm still not quite in the circle".

Unexpected has a very polished-production. The production is engaging, slightly spotty, yet on-point thanks to her TVT team backing her up. (Yet there's nothing from Lil' Jon, very suprising.) There's some engaging dancehall-lite jams that all come off well ("So Cool...Hollywood", "She's Like The Wind", "Could Be Anything"), the breezy pop-ballad "Stuck on You", and some well-polished Carribean-like rap songs ("Caught Up", "In It For The Money, the latter with Snoop Dogg). These are all production highlights. There's also the breezy, Ciara "Promise"-like "Passin' Thru", which comes off nicely and is one of the album's best. The experimental reggae songs that seem to aim at Rihanna all fail, where "Cute Boy" is disorganized and the Shaggy-assisted "Feel Like Makin' Love", a remake of Roberta Flack's version, goes nowhere. Go ahead and add "He Told Me" and "Did You Imagine" to that list as well. And it seems like the extra rappers do more hurt to the album, as Pitbull-assisted "Crazy" is just plain corny, and both "I'm Up" featuring Jim Jones and "You Got Me" featuring N.O.R.E. have some of the wackest production I've heard in a long time. To add onto the list, "The Whistle Song" featuring and produced by Wyclef Jean comes off odd rather than appealing.

The lyrics seem to go nowhere in most of Unexpected, though, in that case, the album would be far from aptly titled. There's obviously plenty and too many tracks about relationship here, as a matter of fact the only songs that AREN'T about relationships would be the industry-hating "In It For The Money", the Jim Jones-assisted "I'm Up", and the failed club anthem "The Whistle Song". The lyrics aren't actually bad, but sometimes Lumidee comes across a lot of odd metaphors. (see "You Got Me" and "He Told Me") There are also some failing choruses here and there, like the already questionable "Crazy", both "The Whistle Song" and "Could Be Anything" lack one, and the chorus in "Caught Up" is just plain annoying. But, you have to admit that the lyrics are comfortable fitting into Lumidee's rap/dance-lite style, even if that means you'll be scratching your head every once in awhile.

Vocally this album is below average, but better than terrible vocalists such as Natalie or Brooke Hogan. She doesn't really have a knock-out range, and this album could've easily been better if it were done by Beyonce or Rihanna, but Lumidee has enough vocal power to suffice an album. There are also times when she is rapping, like in "The Whistle Song" and "He Told Me", and much like Natalie, she's just OK at it.

Unexpected isn't a bad album, but it is far from good. I'm not sure what to rate it, I think its better than a two and a half, but not quite a three. I'll give it a three, but it ain't all that either. She's got some skills here in there, but the album feels more like a mixed bag rather than a convincing artist. Unexpected is an alright album for a party, but if you are expecting the unexpected, expect to give this to a used CD store a month or two from now. 3 stars.

Like many American women my age, I have a passion for the phenomenon that was Dirty Dancing. The style, the music and, of course, the dancing were all extremely influential on me and my fellow Catholic school girlfriends. We danced in the aisles of the movie theatre and recited the dialogue at countless slumber parties.

One sunny day this spring I was driving along and heard a pop-style R&B version of Patrick Swayze's "She's Like The Wind" blasting through my speakers! I rolled the window down and reminisced about summers of my youth. The cover, by Lumidee, who you may remember from last year's summer jam "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)," is performed alongside Tony Sunshine. They both do a great job channeling the spirit of Johnny and Baby, and, while it includes several new rap sections, it's impossible to not sing along. I admit that I struggled for a minute with my instinct to love the song, thinking most young people who hear this won't even know that it's a cover. Realizing this way of thinking made me sound like an old timer, I went on to spread the word about this perfect summer jam.

Because I was so sold on the first single, I was excited to hear the entire album, but found it empty. Let's be real, it doesn't speak highly of a studio album when the best song on it is a cover. This is the epitome of what can be bad about commercial radio. It sounds like the producers randomly reached into a grab bag of what works in pop music: hot young woman, guest stars like Snoop Dogg and Shaggy, dependable, safe dance beats and overly produced and altered vocals. It has no artistic integrity and feels soulless, ironic for an R&B album. In the song, "In It For The Money," she goes on about how her main motivation is - yep, you guessed it! - Money. In the spirit of valuing your own dollars, take yours and invest them in real, original talent like Lil' Mama.

I didn't expect to hear from this one again after her short lived career and hit single ruled the airwaves and clubs for a good minute years back. But I must say I am glad she came back. This is a good mature and newer Lumidee...

I found this album while searching related artists, and I really like this album. It has catchy beats, songs I want to keep playing on repeat, and the Spanglish version of "She's like the Wind" is better than the English, I beleive. I don't know why people are speaking so mean about her and her talents. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but if you don't like it, you don't have to say it's the worst thing ever. Just simply say you don't like it. But I definitely like Lumidee.

Lumidee (Lumidee Cedeño) had one of the biggest hits of 2003 with "Never Leave" (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh) but when her debut album "Almost Famous" was released it flopped and no other song was nowhere near the standard of her hitsingle. Well, the album may have been released in a hurry, but Lumidee was never the best of singers in the first place, let alone rapper. Since 2003 she's occasionally been heard as a guest on other artists albums like Speedy's "Sientelo" and then a useless remake of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". 4 years later she gets another chance with sophmore album "Unexpected" which was quite unexpected in my oppinion. Lumidee both sing and rap on this album, but she hasn't improved her singing much only her attitude and sounding much more confident and experienced then before. However, she sings and rap herself but get alot of help from both other singers and rappers and guest artists like Snoop Dogg on "In It For the Money" where she sais that she's just in the music business for the money cause the whole industry is funny, and she won't listen to the radio nor music videos. "Crazy" with Latino rapper Pitbull which sounds a little simular to her old hit with the drums. "You Got Me" with N.O.R.E and club song "Whistle Song" with Wyclef Jean which he also produced. "I'm Up" feauture in demand Rapper Jim Jones and stands out cause of it's speed up hook and heavy synthesizer beats. Shaggy appears on "Feels Like Makin Love" a cover of a Roberta Flack oldie which is as dull as it gets and Tony Sunshine appears on Patrick Swayze's Dirty Dancing song "She's Like The Wind", this is defenitely the best song of the album (and became a minor hit) but it's cause of talented Tony Sunshine that sings the hook. Scott Storch also produced one song "Caught Up" but it isn't anything special, infact most songs without guests aren't as interesting as the others. "Unexpected" with it's 17 songs is a mix between mostly R&B, Hip Hop some Dancehall and one Ballad "Stuck On You". The result however is sub-par. Lumidee isn't completely untalented but in a time where alot of artists sound the same and are dependent on good songwriters/producers she needs a gimmick and better material to work with. "Unexpected" may be better then her debut and some songs are quite alright actually but it just isn't interesting enough in the long run.

This record is on fire, there's club tracks, hip-hop tracks and reggae tracks on here, something for everyone.
6. Feel Like Makin Love featuring Shaggy: Reggae fans will dig this track
2. So Cool...Hollywood: Club Banger...

Big ups to J Marty of The Beat Doctorz who produced this sonicly rich album; good lookin' out man, it's tight!