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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mo's Been Through The Pain And Has Put It On Paper... , September 26, 2007
I love me some Lil' Mo. I always have and I always will. I've always appreciated her raw talent, the street but sweet, girl next door in the hood sensibility she brings to her music and the emotion she evokes. After her deal with Elektra Records expired and after getting dropped dropped from Cash Money Records Lil' Mo followed the path of Prince and more recently Tamia and decided to go independent, giving herself free reign creatively and financially over her music. The problem though with most independent releases is that while the music may still be good there's usually a certain lustre missing from the musical production and especially the packaging. Most people don't care one way or another about album cover packaging design, especially with the advent of iTunes, but as a graphic designer it's something I have a keen eye for. This surprisingly wasn't the case for Tamia's last album "Between Friends" but unfortunately that is somewhat the case here. And as far as the music is concerned, besides a few slight missteps, the album, though more ballad heavy is almost as good as the first two. Her second album "Meet The Girl Next Door" is my favorite and the most solid album of hers. This album is a hard act to follow.
The theme of this album is "from pain to paper." The pain which seems to be born out of the problems she went through with her ex-husband Al Stone into the paper which seems to mean money and success but can also mean writing on paper as Mo writes most of her songs. She wrote all but three songs on this album. We all know that Lil' Mo, the self-proclaimed Godmother of Hip Hop & R&B (does ever artist have to have a title these days?), honed her vocal chops growing up in church. Upon hearing this album you'll notice that it has a gospel feel to it. That's because two of the main writers/producers on this album Asaph Ward (Kim Burrell, Karen Clark-Sheard) and Jules "Juda" Bartholomew are best known for their work with Gospel artists.
The album starts out with an "Intro", which is basically Lil' Mo giving a spoken introduction of the album and then singing acapella, which is one of her specialties.
"Sumtimes I", the first and current single, features Jim Jones while "Sumtimes I (Part 2)" is the same song with an even better flow by Fabolous. I'm not sure why she didn't release the Fabolous version as the single. I'm guessing that she wanted to try something different and not have all three of her albums have a first single featuring him. I say if it ain't broke don't fix it. Either way the midtempo song about being with someone and wishing that you were with someone else is a good song but it wouldn't have been my choice for the first single.
"Heartbeat" feat. Donny Roc, produced by Brian Michael Cox is another standout on the album. The overall message of the song is to cherish the ones that we love while they're still here. The tragic song about pain and loss is made even more poignant by the use of the beeping sound of a heart monitor woven into the beat.
"Lucky Her", a song about a woman who's once irresponsible man has left her, grown up, and has become responsible, but with someone else, "Broken Heart", a cry from a woman for someone to mend her broken heart, "Husband", a song about a woman who's discovered that she's dating a married man, "Jus Like That", a song about a woman in an bad relationship who's man is leaving her, and "No Hotel", a song about a woman who's giving a man who is staying in and out of her house and life his final walking papers are all classic Lil' Mo songs dealing with the ups and downs and pains of relationships from a woman's perspective. If you like Lil' Mo you'll love these.
"Sexy Pictures" feat. Trina is about most commercial song on this album. It has the best beat and is a little reminiscent of "Ain't No Reason" from her last album. Another song which was lauded for having one of the best beats ever! With the right video this song could be a smash hit. It's basically a song about Lil' Mo and Trina sending their men sexy pictures from her camera phones.
To end the album Mo takes us to church on "Dotted I (I'm Not Perfect)". Your basic 'I'm not perfect don't judge me' R&B/gospel-ish song with the layered Lil' Mo Mass Choir singing background. It's actually a great song and a great way to end the album.
Unfortunately though to get to the end of the album we have to wade through songs like "Youngin'" feat. Da Brat and "How Can I Tell" feat. Heaven (not her baby daughter, this isn't a Kelly Price album). These songs are both absolutely terrible, even worse than "Gangsta" from Mo's first album "Based On A True Story". I don't know what my girl Mo was thinking but the album was long enough with 17 tracks. She could have easily left these two out and we never would have noticed.
If you must download, download: "Heartbeat", "Sexy Pictures", & "Sumtimes I (Part 2)"
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I love this chick!, August 28, 2007
I rarely write reviews - but I anticipated this CD like the announcement of Powerball numbers!! Man - I been a huge Lil Mo fan since day 0. Each album she releases I compare to the impossible standard of her first album - Based on a True Story (Hell, I need to write a review on that masterpiece). From intro to outro on that CD - I was hooked. It was pure perfection..now Pain & Paper is a slightly different story. I love Sumtimes, and I think its a good single (although her promotion was horrible) -- but this CD is just OK. Its not superb...just OK. In this album, she tends to tap into her sexy side - which I love :) and it seems authentic. Unlike the previous review, I love the length of the CD and her ballads. She works magic on ballads - especially when she really feel them -- I would still say buy it (My baby needs the support!!)..
My favorite songs after first listen are -
Sumtimes *****
Heartbeat (lyrically, a great song)
Just like that
One for the road
I need you now
How Can I tell (should be next single - very radio friendly)
No Hotel
Dotted, I
Offically Hollywood
Her intro is stupid LOL (in a good way) -- I love her humor.
It just doesnt have the obvious standouts on this album - such as She Cood Neva Be me, Shoulda Known, First Time, Ta Da, 2Moro and Doing Me Wrong. I do miss the higher pitched voice on her first CD. Overall, its a solid CD - especially for the fans. Would have loved to heard her shelved album - I think it would have been great.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
'Pain & Paper' Proves To Be Proming!, September 8, 2007
The self-proclaimed godmother of Hip-Hop and R&B is back on the music scene after more than 4 years of being out of spotlight. The former military brat is now the head sista in charge with her new album Pain & Paper being released on her own independent record label HoneyChild Entertainment. Fans of the four-feet something songstress will be pleasantly surprised by the high-quality production and stellar songwriting on the album. "Heartbeat" uses the sound of a heart monitor for part of the background arrangement, but the best part is the underlying message that we should be thankful for all our blessings and cherish our lives as well as those of our loved ones. "Broken Heart" is another remarkable cut where she begs for someone to help fix the emptiness inside. She finds out that she's been dating a married man and addresses the need to let him go on the song "Husband." With a okay flow from Da Brat, Lil' Mo switches up on the somewhat questionable song "Youngin'" where she talks about being with a mature 21-year-old. She hints at her freaky side with "Sexy Pictures" featuring even more spiciness from the raunchy rapper Trina. Lil' Mo shuts her doors on a no-good knucklehead on "No Hotel," while she goes to church for the inspirational "Dotted I (I'm Not Perfect). "Officially Hollywood" is a carefree song that features comedian-turned-rapper Katt Williams dropping a verse that is actually respectable. Jim Jones adds very little to an otherwise decent cut called "Sometimes I," with Part 2 featuring a better flow from Fabolous placed as the album closer. Even though Lil' Mo has a few songs that might have been better left alone ("Jus Like That," "I Need You Now," and "How Can I Tell" are a little less than flattering), Pain & Paper could very well be Lil' Mo's best work to date. And with her new independent status, now is definitely the best time for her to prove her worth in the music industry.
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