Customer Reviews

Vivian

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Vivian Green is old-school R&B: she can actually sing, and her songs actually say something. It's not just over-produced bump-n-grind nonsense that so many other female performers these days excel at. She's a vocalist, not just some MTV/BET video hoe upgraded to singer.

This album consists of songs that are atypical of R&B these days also. They don't depend on driving choruses, or thumping bass. They just depend on her voice, and the words she's singing. And they WORK. Instead of giving us an album consisting of a few singles and some filler, we get a solid block of material that holds up and doesn't become old or faded. Long after you stop playing your current album-of-the-minute with the big hits on it that get inevitably replaced by bigger hits on another day, you can keep right on playing this one.

My one complaint (and the reason it's four stars and not five) is that the album isn't as good as her first one. That one really consisted of songs that fit her voice perfectly and had much stronger, more poignant writing overall. It was more soulful than this one, and emotionally heavier. This one is excellent, but it's very light compared to her debut.

And hey, there's nothing wrong with that. She's obviously able to stretch and be flexible. And if that means that every album she puts out will maintain her high quality and yet be different from the last, that's really exciting. Not many artists can make that kind of promise, but when Vivian does, you can trust her, and trust in her music. This CD is definitely a keeper.

From start to finish there is not a filler on this album, i was so impressed when a friend recomended it...this cd starts strong and ends amazing....if asked what were the stand out track it would be all of them...Go Buy It!!! dont sleep on Vivian, she is an amazing talent!!!!

Vivian Green's first album, A Love Story was classy, jazzy, soulful and absolutley flawless. I was hoping that I could say the same for her sophmore effort, Vivian.

On this album, she chooses to go mainstream. It is questionable why. She got critical acclaim for her debut, decent sales, and was one of the best kept secrets in the music industry. (And honestly, I'm pretty sure her first CD outsold this one by far.)

But truth be told, some of the mainstream R&B stuff on here outshines the more soulful ballads. Songs like "Frustrated", "Damn", and "All About Us" are much better than the balladry at the end.

The conclusion is that this is a laidback, somewhat mainstream CD. It is nothing special, but nothing too bad either. Whereas her first CD was a classic.

THIS CD IS GREAT! I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN THE TYPICAL MUSIC THAT EVERYONE IN THE R&B GENRE IS PUTTING OUT AND I'VE FOUND IT IN THIS CD. NOT ONLY DOES VIVIAN GREEN HAVE A BEAUTIFUL VOICE BUT THE WORDS IN HER SONGS GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

the thing about the sophmore album is we arent surprised or expect much from the first. except in this case. the love story a great album but if you listen to it as much as i have u notice that albumn is sad as hell. Vivan has 3 upbeat track, wish we could, i like it, and sweet thing, those songs are fire, plus selfish and cursed, puts away the love story, plus viv used some named producers like scott storch this time, hands down fire.

When I read a few of the reviews posted here for Vivian Green's sophomore disc, I was worried that it was a failure but once again I learned that one must take reviews with a grain of salt given that we are all different people and likes/dislikes re music are highly subjective. I beg to differ with 2 recent posts labeling this entire disc as a negative male bashing waste of time. These were highly misleading statements IMHO but like I said earlier "different strokes for different folks".

To be sure the first 5 songs seem directly related to her split with her husband but that's what I find so terrific about singer/songwriters such as Vivian - they usually write songs from the heart, that are reflective of what's going in their lives at a time. I, however did not find the songs depressive - they just represent hopefully a catharsis for Vivian so that she can move on and seek happiness again.

The only thing that I think was a misstep with this disc (besides the Sony anti-piracy scandal) was that the wrong song was selected to launch the disc - GOTTA GO GOTTA LEAVE surely allows Viv to showcase her georgeous voice but the song had to grow on me due to its somewhat unconventional melody line but I'd still rate the song a strong 4.5/5 on my enjoyment scale.

Standout tracks to me are: WISH WE COULD GO BACK - nice beats, nice hook, excellent production by Scott Storch. This should've been the lead single... 4.5/5

UNDER MY SKIN, I LIKE IT (BUT I DON'T NEED IT): also a first single candidate, SWEET MEMORY (BEAUTIFULLY YOUNG) & PERFECT DECISION all feature excellent production by one of the pre-eminent r&b producers, James Poyser. All got 4.5/5 ratings from me!

Honorable mentions are the fun & upbeat tracks: SWEET THING (don't get it twisted, this is not a remake of Chaka's Sweet Thing) & ALL ABOUT US.

Those looking for booty shaking hip-hop beats will probably pass but those looking for mature contemporary r&b from a woman who definitely stepped up her game from her excellent debut, you'll probably give it a chance and enjoy more than not.

The songs on this album anyone who is or has been in a relationship can relate. Vivian Green displays song vocals and songs with meaning. One of the few albums I can listen to from beginning to end.

I love this album, I wasn't much of a fan her first time out the gate. I mean Emotional Rollacoaster had a nice sound and beat, but this cd I am convinced Ms. Green can dance with the best of them. I love it. From beginning to end.

Keep up the good work, and congratulations on a Fabulous, Fabulous album.

I LOVED IT. ALL OF HER SONGS HAD A GOOD MESSAGE AND THEY CAME RIGHT FROM HER SOUL. HER MUSIC IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. IT IS A LOVELY MIX OF R&B AND SOUL. WHEN LISTENING HER BEAUTIFUL MUSIC IT TAKES YOU BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN MUSIC WAS GOOOD AND PEOPLE COULD ACTUALLY SANG!!!!!!

This cd, like all new cd's from Sony, will infect your computer with a virus that cannot be removed. If you have already played this cd on your computer, the only way to eliminate the virus is to remove the hard drive and throw it away. Or better yet, mail it to Sony and tell them you want a new one. For more information search Sony xcp. This is a great cd, but unfortunately Vivian's record label is in the virus writing business.