Since the release of his 2005 self titled debut, Chris Brown has remained busy by appearing in films (Stomp The Yard, This Christmas) as well as television (The O.C.), so his inevitable return to music is sure to excite the “106 & Park audience” that has come to love and support him. Although he’s matured since his last go around, Chris remains loyal to his audience on his second album, Exclusive, and seemingly picks up right where his last left off. While contrite in its effort, Exclusive is more of a step down when compared to his previous opus and proves more than anything that playing it safe is not always the best choice. Overall, the album boasts better quality and the feel is more of a complete piece of work but the essence that made his first album work is seemingly nonexistent here.
Call it a sophomore jinx but second albums rarely live up to their predecessor. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Exclusive is a bad album because it’s really not. The subject matter is routine for someone Chris’s age so I’m sure a lot of his fans will be able to relate but my personal feeling is that Chris has so much potential yet is limited to this uniformed structure of how people want him to be. I respect the fact that Chris is willing to take risks when it comes to some of his song selections because when things come together, it really works well. Case and point would be his latest single, “Kiss Kiss”, produced by and featuring T-Pain and the counterbalance would be the dreadfully awful “Wall to Wall”. Without question, it’s clear to see why Jive Records decided to go with another single after “Wall to Wall” was not well received and while the current single is slowly gaining buzz, the follow up to “Kiss Kiss” will be equally important as well.
My best guess is that it will be a ballad (“Take You Down”) but up-tempo (“Picture Perfect”) is always an option. Either choice would be perfect but it all depends on how well the album does its first week. All that aside, Chris has plenty of material to choose from and plenty of help as well. Notable guest appearances include: Kanye West, Will.I.Am, Big Boi, T-Pain, Lil’ Wayne, and The Game so Chris is loaded as far as features are concerned. Vocally, Chris has grown into a class of his own and you can tell that he’s slowly finding his own voice. While he’s far from being mentioned in the same sentence as an Usher, Chris is slowly laying down the framework for where he hopes to be one day. Exclusive is part of that framework and after its all said and done will probably be an afterthought upon his next release but until then, his diehard fans will settle for his latest offering and be more than pleased with the result.
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