Tweet:
It's Me Again

Release Date: 21 March 2005

Reviewed By: Alfie Pomells

1. It's Me Again (Intro)

2. Turn Da Lights Off - ft, Missy

3. Iceberg

4. Could It Be - ft, Rell

5. You

6. Cab Ride

7. Things I Don't Mean - ft, Missy

8. My Man

9. Sports, Sex and Food

10. Small Change

11. Two Of Us

12. Where Do We Go From Here

13. Steer

14. I'm Done

15. We Don't Need No Water / When I Need A Man

Beanie Sigel - The B Coming
Read Review

It's been three years since Miss Charlene Keys, aka Tweet ripped up the R&B scene with her amazing debut album ‘Southern Hummingbird’. Probably best known for her club hits ‘Boogie 2nite’, ‘Call Me’ and ‘Oops (Oh My)’, as well as her vocal collaborations with Missy Elliot and Timbaland, she's back on the scene with the aptly titled ‘It's Me Again’. This basically carries on where ‘Southern Hummingbird’ left off, with some more of that sweet mix of club-bangers, two-steppers, mid-tempo grooves and sexy ballads.

Things kick off with the obligatory ‘Intro’, which is followed up by the first single release, ‘Turn Da Lights Off’. Sampling Cheryl Lynn's ‘If This World Were Mine’ and featuring Kwame on the scratch and Missy on the mic, the 85bpm tempo is probably one of the reasons why it hasn't got the exposure it deserves, but hopefully the album release will generate some renewed interest or a beefed-up remix. ‘Iceberg’ drops the tempo but keeps those deep, resounding, chunky beats, with soft, silky southern-soul vocals. Occasional peaks of almost orchestral magnitude supplement the plink-plunk guitar accompaniment.

‘You’ has those angelic a cappella vocals that remind you really how talented this lady is. The beats and track are nowhere near as interesting, but it’s still a track that captivates the imagination. One of the most innovative tracks for a long time is ‘Taxi’ or ‘Cab Ride’ (depending on which version of the album you have), and samples Bob James' masterpiece ‘Angela’ (the theme from ‘Taxi’). This is a truly lovely track; and there's not really much to it with the exception of the main sample, a phat beat and a few finger clicks. But when the break kicks in, it's really sweet. ‘Things I Don't Mean’ features Missy on the track and is one of the genuine dance tracks on the album. At a delightful 110bpm, this is a DJ's dream. It has lots of opportunities for creative mixes and even has built in "crackle" to give that vinyl feel.

However, ‘Sports, Sex & Food’ is pretty awful, and is pretty much the only dampener on the album. ‘My Man’ goes with some of that retro groove that takes things back to the old-skool of Soul and R&B, and arguably one of the best on the album. ‘Small Change’ delivers more of the soft and silky stuff and is a wonderful love song. ‘The Two Of Us’, has beautiful, almost Surface-esque flute melodies and is a duet between mother and daughter. And just as Angie Stone and offspring did, this is a highlight of the album. ‘Steer’ has a real Truth Hurts kind of feel to it, and is another exceptional R&B tune, whilst ‘I'm Done’ keeps it in the smooth groove and defies you not to get emotional when you're listening it. The samples from ‘Intimate Friends’ are blatant, but a truly special love song, that fuses a hint of jazz into a solid soul tune. ‘We Don't Need No Water’ appears as the bonus track and comes with a lot of Dirty South attitude and a jump-off vibe. The archetypal dance-floor filler - listen out for it on every DJ compilation and bootleg in the next few months.

Unmissable...

Rating: 4 out of 5

Top three tracks:
7) Things I Don't Mean
6) Cab Ride
8) My Man

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z