Albums like this catch my attention. Famous features, (including Nas) and just the solitary album in the discography. I can see why this was as far as she went though. Cha Cha is a fine enough rapper, but there is nothing different here. She sounds like a Foxy Brown, gangster kind of rapper, and the instrumentation is all generic late '90s sounding. Beats: ★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: New Millenium (What Cha Wanna Do), Set It Off, WhereDaPaperAt?

Not a bad mainstream R&B album. I don't think 'One Wish' is the amazing song that some claim it to be. There are so many better ones from the strong era this was released in. Ray J doesn't have a great voice. The powerful way the R&B legend, R. Kelly, sings, "For the WORRRLLLD to see," during the introduction of 'Quit Actin' knocks anything else on this out of the park. The album loses some steam during some of the overtly sex themed songs like 'In tha Mood' and 'Sexy'. The outro of 'Sexy' with Mýa is hard to listen to. There are lots of enjoyable tracks though, without anything being supreme. Best Tracks: What I Need, One Wish, Anytime, Centerview

Glasses has dropped another decent West Coast hip hop album here. As he did on his last project, again we have some very familiar samples and homages to well known songs. The title title track borrows from a classic for the hook. 'One of Those' is basically Scarface's 'They Down With Us'. 'Bring Em Out' borrows from T.I.'s song of the same name for the chorus. Consistent from front to back without anything outstanding. Best Tracks: One of Those, Put On, Out West, Da Bloodz,

Brooke Valentine's one and only studio album opens with two decent bangers and the best moments are in the first third. All of the first five songs offer something and some enjoyable variety. It starts to falter for a few tracks from the Dupri assisted and co-produced 'Playa' though where it does fall into the crowd of everything else in mainstream R&B from the era this was released in. When the hate-filled 'I Want You Dead' came on, I thought the album had finished and moved on to another release. It sounds quite different, with its baroque pop vibe, than what you'd expect to find on most R&B albums like this in the mid '00s. 'American Girl' sounds a little different as well. There's a Spanish verse on 'Million Bucks' from the featured artist, Queenz Deliz, that I don't see the point of being here. There's nothing amazing from Brooke, but I don't dislike anything either, and there is some variety and some different sounds. She deserved a second album. Best Tracks: Girlfight, Taste of Dis, Long As You Come Home, Cover Girl, Dying of a Broken Heart

As I started listening to this, I read, "Putting aside the glossy R&B of his earlier releases in favor of a more rustic and soulful sound inspired by the likes of Stapleton and Nelson," which, as a fan of Zayn's discography so far, in particularly his first two albums, made me sigh. I just don't like the sound/genre enough to love enough of this. At times the vocals sound choppy-See 'The Time'. 'Stardust' is the best thing here. Best Tracks: Star Dust, False Starts