Justin Timberlake’s third album “The 20/20 Experience” has gotten rave reviews from all my music fiends on Twitter. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as them.  Not to say that I didn’t enjoy it; I actually enjoyed much of it.  But there were many things that I hated about it.

First, the things I liked: Timberlake is a talented performer. His voice and falsetto is excellent. The whole album has a classy vibe which is pleasant to listen to.  And there is a diversity of R&B influences on the album, both modern and classic. Those include Frank Ocean, Drake, Robin Thicke, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Motown.

Now, what I hated about it. The lyrics of most of the songs are sub-par.  The Guardian’s review was correct when it described the album’s lyrics as ‘porny’ and awful.  Also, the album is bloated.  Many of the songs are 7 or 8 minutes long. For most of those songs, the long length is unnecessary. The same beat and lyrics are repeated frequently. It just makes these songs drag. 

I enjoyed half of the songs on the album, while the other half was so-so.  “Suit and Tie” makes a great first single. Like some of Timberlake’s previous work, it echoes Michael Jackson well. “Strawberry Bubblegum” effectively combines the downtempo R&B of The Weeknd or Drake with a 70s R&B sound.  “Blue Ocean Floor” echoes Frank Ocean.  It is the most creative song on the album, complete with introspective lyrics, sound effects and hazy strings.  “Pusher Love Girl” is a horn-y, upbeat late 70s-influenced track. It’s a nice track, although it just needs the first four minutes, not the whole eight.  “Mirrors” is the most modern-sounding track. It’s an excellent track that sounds like it could have been Timberlake’s previous album.  

“Spaceship Coupe” echoes Prince’s mid-80’s sound. Prince is my favorite artist (besides Michael Jackson). Personally, I found it just an okay homage to Prince. Tracks “Let The Groove In” and “Don’t Hold The Wall” have decent, ethnic influenced beats, but suffer from a poor chorus and lyrics. 

Every pop and R&B fan should check the album. Despite the various flaws, there is some excellent music here. (3.75 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R Bufano (03/27/2013)

Kendrick Lamar’s first official album ‘good kid, m.A.A.d. city’ is one excellent piece of work.  Lamar’s talents as a vivid story teller and lyricist shine through.  That is combined with strong and sonically appealing beats.   Lamar is complimented with many excellent producers, Dre, Hit-Boy, and Pharrell among them.

I’m not normally a fan of West Coast Hip-Hop, but its sound is untypical of the West Coast. The lyrics have more in common with East Coast Hip-Hop. They are reflective, rather than in your face.  He has more in common with Nas than Dr. Dre. The delivery and mood have similarities to Southern Hip-Hop. Lamar often echoes OutKast in his rapping style and drawl.

Each track on the album reflects the realities of inner city life in his hometown of Compton – the gangs, drugs, violence, and unkempt women.  Lamar isn’t celebrating those things; rather he is telling a story about it.  As the title suggests, Lamar wasn’t actually into that stuff, but he was always in the middle of it. 

For an album that features so many gritty themes, the mood is mostly mid-tempo.  It is seldom fast or hard hitting. Most tracks have a laid back vibe. My favorite six are ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’, ‘Backseat Freestyle’, ‘Poetic Justice’, ‘m.A.A.d City’, ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’, and ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst’.   Any deluxe edition is worth it for the excellent ‘The Recipe’ and ‘Black Boy Fly’

My only complaint is that the last two tracks are just okay.  So the album could have had a better closing.

‘good kid, m.A.A.d. city’ will be considered one of the best hip-hop albums from the second decade of the 21^st century. (4.5 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R Bufano (02.08.2013)

Tegan & Sara’s album “Heartthrob” is the indie duo’s attempt at a more mainstream pop sound.  Now is a good time to do so. Many artists (fun., Gotye, Ellie Goulding) that have achieved number one hits recently have done so with songs that find a middle ground between indie and mainstream pop. And Tegan & Sara do the same on this album.  It’s mostly pop, but still retains indie elements. And it’s a nice formula.  Pure indie music can be too challenging, and pure pop music can be bland.  Instead, the best of both worlds are combined – the catchiness of pop and the creativity of indie.

All of the songs here have a synth-pop formula.  Most are upbeat, some are mid-tempo. Unlike their previous releases, there is little acoustic guitar.  The title “Heartthrob” is appropriate for this album.  The lyrical content of every song deals with love - sometimes heartbreak, sometimes joy.  And the lyrics are pretty introspective. Unlike other synth-pop albums, none of the songs deal with partying. The songs have some similarities to Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding, and Robyn. Tegan and Sara’s new sound is more indie than Katy Perry, yet more pop than Ellie Goulding.   To an extent, Tegan and Sara echo 80s synth-oriented new wave bands on this album. The synth beats sound both retro and modern.

The stronger tracks on this album are “Closer”, “I Was A Fool”, “I’m Not Your Hero”, “How Come You Don’t Want Me”, “Now I’m All Messed Up”. “Closer” has the best chorus.  “I’m Not Your Hero” has the best lyrics.  “Now I’m All Messed Up” the best beats. 

Tegan and Sara have always been underrated as an indie band. Sadly, as a pop band, they’ll likely remain underrated.   If you haven’t checked them out, do so. (4.25 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R Bufano (02.01.2013)

2012 is a strong year for R&B, and Alicia Keys’ latest album “Girl On Fire” is another strong R&B album.

“Girl On Fire” has an impressive list of producers and writers – Babyface, Saleem Remi, Bruno Mars, Jamie xx, Gary Clark Jr., Emeli Sande, Darkchild, Jeff Bhasker, Frank Ocean, Dr. Dre, among others.  And when you combine their talents with Alicia’s talent as a singer and piano player, you’re sure to come up with excellent results.

This album never becomes monotonous – every song has a different formula. Like all of her other albums, Keys combines retro R&B with modern R&B.  The first two singles, “New Day” and the title track (ft. Nicki Minaj), combine hip-hop flare with piano soul. All of Emeli Sande’s contributions (“Brand New Me”, “Not Even The King”, “101”) are stripped down and features just Alicia and her piano.  “Tears Always Win” is Bruno Mars’ contribution. It’s an upbeat throwback to 50s pop-soul, not unlike some of Bruno’s own songs.  “That’s When I Knew” is a Babyface-produced tune similar to the acoustic R&B he produced in the 90s. “When It’s All Over” is produced by Jamie xx and combines The xx-like indie-synth flourishes with Alicia’s soulfulness.  “Listen To Your Heart” also combine Alicia’s typical sound with synth flourishes.  “One Thing” is Ocean’s contribution. It’s not as strong as some of Ocean’s other work, but still good.

There are negative comments that the album’s lyrics are trite and cliché. I have to somewhat agree with that – the songwriting is nothing special.  However, Alicia’s performance and the excellent production make up for that.

The strongest songs, in my opinion, are “When It’s All Over, “Listen To Your Heart”, “Girl On Fire”, “Tears Always Win”, and “101”. (4.25 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R Bufano, 12/05/2012

Keyshia Cole’s fifth album “Woman To Woman” is a good listen from start to finish. Her last album wasn’t the strongest, but she redeems herself here. It is full of well-crafted songs with strong lyrics that detail the rockier side of love. Cole has one of the strongest vocals in R&B, and they are well displayed here. Cole is no Mary J Blige, but comes close.

“Woman To Woman” is R&B with no strings attached. It’s not Euro influenced pop-R&B like current Usher or Rihanna, nor is it hipster-friendly R&B like Frank Ocean or The Weeknd. It’s just plain, regular hip-hop soul. Most of the songs are mid-tempo. There are no club bangers here, all the songs are reflective.

Heartbreak, honesty, jealousy, and joy are prominent themes on the album. “Enough of No Love” is the first single and lead track. It has a strong hip-hop beat and hot guest spot by Lil’ Wayne. Some of the other stronger tracks are “Zero”, “Missing Me”, the ballad and second single “Trust and Believe”, “Woman To Woman”, and “Wonderland”. Ashanti‘s guest spot on the title track makes for a nice collaboration.

2012 was a strong year for R&B, “Woman To Woman” being one of the reasons. (4.25 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R Bufano, 11/29/2012

The twin sister duo Megan and Liz are primarily known from their YouTube channel, but recently gained recognition in other places. Their latest single “Bad For Me” has received moderate airplay on the radio, and the duo performed at the iHeartRadio festival after winning a contest. If you have seen their YouTube channel, you’d know these girls can sing.

Megan and Liz’s latest EP “Bad For Me” includes seven songs. It spans genres - dance-pop, power-pop, pop-rock, and country is included. Three big musical influences that Megan & Liz draw from on this album are Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry. It’s similar to Perry because all tracks are super melodic or catchy and draws from both electro and rock. The rockier tunes echo `Here We Go Again’ era Lovato. The lyrics are usually about falling in or out of love - like Swift.

I liked six of seven of the songs that were on this album. “Bad For Me” is a super catchy dance-pop tune. “Dare” and “Sunset Somewhere” are fun power-pop tunes. “Like I Would” is a country ballad that echoes Swift. “Closer To Me” is a mid-tempo pop-rock number. “When You You Mine” is an upbeat electro pop-rock tune.

If you like exuberant pure pop music, check this album out. And their YouTube channel, if you haven’t already. (4.25 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R Bufano, 11/21/2012

Until hearing “Ready or Not” on the radio, I never heard of Bridgit Mendler. After checking out her whole album, I became a fan.

The 19-year old Bridgit Mendler comes from the Disney Channel, but ‘serious’ music fans or older listeners shouldn’t dismiss her.  Her music is not cheesy at all. It’s very pop, yes, but it incorporates jazz, soul, and real rock. Every song is well-crafted and has quality lyrics.  The production never feels generic.  Every song sounds different from the others and would stand out among other pop singer’s stuff.  And Mendler has a beautiful voice with a nice texture. 

I like every song on the album. The songs are mostly upbeat and they always have a feel-good vibe. Like all Disney singers, the lyrics are always innocuous. Besides “Ready or Not”, some of the better songs are “Top of the World”, “Hurricane”, “City Lights”, and “5:15”. Most of the songs could easily be performed by Jessie J, Demi Lovato or Carly Rae Jepsen.  However, “5:15” could have been performed by Amy Winehouse.

Bridgit Mendler is an underrated artist. She deserves more exposure and fame, as she is better than most of the others on pop radio.  If you like pop music, give her a listen if you haven’t already. (4 1/2 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R Bufano, 11/16/2012

Ne-Yo’s fifth album “R.E.D.” has some great tracks on in.  Of the first two singles, “Lazy Love” is top-notch R&B, while “Let Me Love You” is a catchy dance-pop song. The following singles, the hip-hop soul “Don’t Make ‘Em Like You”, and upbeat house-pop “Be The One”, also excel.

However, while the rest of the album is decent, they are just that. Nothing special.  Ne-Yo is a talented singer and songwriter, and that’s evident on all the tracks.  But the style and production here are a bit bland and generic. Compared to albums released by R&B artists recently – Brandy, Miguel, Frank Ocean – R.E.D. is not as good.  Some say “R.E.D.” has too much ‘pop’, but that’s not the problem. Usher and Rihanna incorporate pop, yet have released amazing albums.

That being said, fans of pop and R&B should still check it out. It’s worth it for the strongest tracks & Ne-Yo’s talent.  The opening track, “Cracks In Mr. Perfect”, is quite groovy and includes some very personal lyrics.  There’s one instance of country on the ballad “She Is”, a duet with Tim McGraw. Compared to other Ne-Yo albums, “In My Own Words” and “Year of The Gentleman” are better albums than “R.E.D.”.  But overall, most Ne-Yo fans will be satisfied. (3.75 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R. Bufano, 11/15/2012

Brandy’s latest album “Two Eleven” is a throwback to late 90s and early 00s R&B.  It captures the essence of that era.  And unlike much of today’s R&B artists, Brandy uses no auto-tune, nor performs any Euro house-pop tunes.   House-pop is good, but so is real R&B.  There’s been much house-pop and a lack of real R&B. 

Most of the tracks are mid-tempo and address love and relationships.  There are no upbeat party tracks.  It’s not a particularly inventive album (like Frank Ocean).  It’s ordinary R&B, but it’s a package of R&B that is above average.  Every song is well crafted and lyrics are usually good. And as always, Brandy has a great voice.

There are several excellent tracks on “Two Eleven”. The three strongest are “Wildest Dreams”, “No Such Thing As Too Late”, and “Scared of Beautiful”.  “Wildest Dreams” is hip-hop flavored and has a great groove and beat. “No Such Thing As Too Late” is a slow jam with a nice melody. “Scared of Beautiful” is a ballad written by Frank Ocean.  It has the strongest lyrics and production of all the songs.

Other strong tracks are “Let Me Go”, “So Sick”, “Slower” and “Wish Your Love Away”. “Let Me Go” reminds of early Rihanna.  The first single “Put It Down” is actually not one of the better songs on the album. It’s decent, but not strong.

I’ve been a fan of Brandy since her first album in 1994.  “Two Eleven” ranks among her best stuff. Almost all Brandy and most R&B fans will be satisfied with this one.

(4 1/2 out of 5 stars)

—Isa R. Bufano (October 30, 2012)

After listening to Taylor Swift’s fourth album “RED”, I conclude that it is her best album.  It is Swift’s most diverse, mature, and features the most number of strong songs. The songwriting and production is strong. The themes on ‘RED’ are familiar for Swift: love lost, love found, problems in love.  Except now, they are narrated by an ‘adult’, not a teenager. However, Swift is young at heart and not much different as an adult. A teenager could sing about the same things.

It’s the most diverse album because it features a variety of genres – pop-rock, country, country-pop, pop, and even a touch of dubstep.  It also sophisticated moments and sugary sweet moments.  Contrast the first two singles – the bubblegum pop “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and pure country ballad “Begin Again”. Some country fans have complained that the album is too pop and not enough country.  While “RED” has the most pop elements of all her albums, it’s equally a country album as it is a pop album.

The album begins with “State of Grace”, an uptempo, U2-like pop-rock number. Like “WANEGBT”, “22” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” are upbeat poppy tunes. “22” demonstrates what I said about Taylor being young at heart (“It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters, and make fun of our exes”).  It shuns bar hopping (“This place is too crowded, too many cool kids”).  Like “Begin Again”, “I Almost Do” and “All Too Well” are beautiful country ballads. The title track “Red” is upbeat country-pop track. “Stay Stay Stay” and “Sad Beautiful Tragic” are nice acoustic ballads.  Rising Brit singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is featured on “Everything Has Changed” – a nice collaboration.

Any fans of pop and/or country (especially fans of both) should check out “RED”.

(4 ½ out of 5 stars)

—Isa R Bufano (October 25, 2012)