LeToya - LeToya

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Album Track Listing

LeToya:
LeToya

Release Date: 2 October 2006

Reviewed By: Jeevan Panesar

1) Intro

2) U Got What I Need

3) So Special

4) Torn

5) What Love Can Do

6) She Don't

7) Tear Da Club Up (ft. Bun B & Jazze Pha)

8) All Eyes On Me (ft. Paul Wall)

9) Hey Fella (ft. Slim Thug)

10) Gangsta Grills (ft. Mike Jones & Killa Kyleon)

11) Obvious

12) I'm Good

13) This Song

14) Outro

15) Torn (So So Def Remix ft. Mike Jones & Rick Ross)

Chingy - Hoodstar
Read Review

It was always clear that Beyoncé Knowles would be the Destiny’s Child set for solo world domination. Then, with B’s management and a couple of solo hits under her belt, next in the pecking order would be Kelly Rowland; it was all so predictable. So isn’t it a great feat over assumption when an underdog enters the scene?

Six years after a humiliating dismissal from Destiny’s Child, LeToya Luckett has surprised all with a spectacularly strong return to the music industry with her debut solo album, the modestly titled ‘LeToya’, which has secured her place as an R&B starlet in her own right. After two years in the making, nearly four million copies of the album were sold in the US alone, after its debut at No.1 on the Billboard charts.

On this unveiling, we are not only introduced to LeToya’s lush diva vocals but also her song writing talents: all but one of the songs on the album is written by the self proclaimed ‘H-Town chick’, who sings about the common experiences of many young woman, from relationships and lovers to going out with your girlfriends. This, paired up with refined production from industry heavyweights such as Jermaine Dupri, Jazze Pha and Scott Storch guarantees that this album is not short of potential hit singles.

Clearly set on following on from her success with DC, LeToya kick starts the album with the upbeat ‘You Got What I Need’. This summery Just Blaze production is a simple ode to her beau over a playful tinkering melody and is a catchy feel-good track relating the age old message of love. Continuing the theme of appreciating your man, ‘So Special’ is classic R&B on top form, with its laid back hook, “All my ladies hear me out, if your man’s here point him out/Got a good man make it official, all my ladies say he's so special.”

The lead single off the album, the Teddy Bishop-produced ballad ‘Torn’ is reminiscent of Mary J. Blige’s ‘Everything’ and showcases LeToya’s impressive vocal range at its best; it is no doubt one of the strongest cuts off the album. This mid-tempo R&B flows until half way through the album and shows the singer in the zone through her vocal confidence and clever lyricism.

However, when LeToya starts to venture into Hip Hop, things start to work loose. Jazze Pha’s Hip Hop/ R&B hybrid ‘Dance With Me’ featuring fellow Houston native Bun B, no doubt an intended club crunk joint, is a weak attempt to show versatility to LeToya’s image. The lyrics, “I don’t hate ‘cos my wrists on freeze… got my girls with me/ looking pretty in VIP” stoop to a level of cliché inconsistent with the rest of the album as the music clashes heavily with LeToya’s voice.

There is redemption after this low point with ‘All Eyes On Me’ featuring a slurry couple of verses from Paul Wall. With its ethnic drums and Latin horns, this track is obviously drafted to become the lead club banger on the album. Then, with its bass-bumping laid back vibe and Southern vernacular, ‘Gangsta Grillz’ plays worthy homage to her Houston roots. The album finishes with a couple of unmemorable ballads, which are neither good nor bad.

So apart from the odd inconsistency, LeToya has delivered a generically good R&B album which is palatable the whole way through. If this release is anything to go by, the future for this Southern chick looks promising.

Rating: 3.5 Out of 5

Top 3 tracks:

8) All Eyes On Me

2) U Got What I Need

3) So Special

Return to Latest Reviews or select review by artist or Soundtrack, A-Z.

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			a
Album Track Listing	LeToya: LeToya Release Date: 2 October 2006 Reviewed By: Jeevan Panesar
1) Intro 2) U Got What I Need 3) So Special 4) Torn 5) What Love Can Do 6) She Don't 7) Tear Da Club Up (ft. Bun B & Jazze Pha) 8) All Eyes On Me (ft. Paul Wall) 9) Hey Fella (ft. Slim Thug) 10) Gangsta Grills (ft. Mike Jones & Killa Kyleon) 11) Obvious 12) I'm Good 13) This Song 14) Outro 15) Torn (So So Def Remix ft. Mike Jones & Rick Ross) Chingy - Hoodstar Read Review

		It was always clear that Beyoncé Knowles would be the Destiny’s Child set for solo world domination. Then, with B’s management and a couple of solo hits under her belt, next in the pecking order would be Kelly Rowland; it was all so predictable. So isn’t it a great feat over assumption when an underdog enters the scene? Six years after a humiliating dismissal from Destiny’s Child, LeToya Luckett has surprised all with a spectacularly strong return to the music industry with her debut solo album, the modestly titled ‘LeToya’, which has secured her place as an R&B starlet in her own right. After two years in the making, nearly four million copies of the album were sold in the US alone, after its debut at No.1 on the Billboard charts. On this unveiling, we are not only introduced to LeToya’s lush diva vocals but also her song writing talents: all but one of the songs on the album is written by the self proclaimed ‘H-Town chick’, who sings about the common experiences of many young woman, from relationships and lovers to going out with your girlfriends. This, paired up with refined production from industry heavyweights such as Jermaine Dupri, Jazze Pha and Scott Storch guarantees that this album is not short of potential hit singles. Clearly set on following on from her success with DC, LeToya kick starts the album with the upbeat ‘You Got What I Need’. This summery Just Blaze production is a simple ode to her beau over a playful tinkering melody and is a catchy feel-good track relating the age old message of love. Continuing the theme of appreciating your man, ‘So Special’ is classic R&B on top form, with its laid back hook, “All my ladies hear me out, if your man’s here point him out/Got a good man make it official, all my ladies say he's so special.” The lead single off the album, the Teddy Bishop-produced ballad ‘Torn’ is reminiscent of Mary J. Blige’s ‘Everything’ and showcases LeToya’s impressive vocal range at its best; it is no doubt one of the strongest cuts off the album. This mid-tempo R&B flows until half way through the album and shows the singer in the zone through her vocal confidence and clever lyricism. However, when LeToya starts to venture into Hip Hop, things start to work loose. Jazze Pha’s Hip Hop/ R&B hybrid ‘Dance With Me’ featuring fellow Houston native Bun B, no doubt an intended club crunk joint, is a weak attempt to show versatility to LeToya’s image. The lyrics, “I don’t hate ‘cos my wrists on freeze… got my girls with me/ looking pretty in VIP” stoop to a level of cliché inconsistent with the rest of the album as the music clashes heavily with LeToya’s voice. There is redemption after this low point with ‘All Eyes On Me’ featuring a slurry couple of verses from Paul Wall. With its ethnic drums and Latin horns, this track is obviously drafted to become the lead club banger on the album. Then, with its bass-bumping laid back vibe and Southern vernacular, ‘Gangsta Grillz’ plays worthy homage to her Houston roots. The album finishes with a couple of unmemorable ballads, which are neither good nor bad. So apart from the odd inconsistency, LeToya has delivered a generically good R&B album which is palatable the whole way through. If this release is anything to go by, the future for this Southern chick looks promising. Rating: 3.5 Out of 5 Top 3 tracks: 8) All Eyes On Me 2) U Got What I Need 3) So Special Return to Latest Reviews or select review by artist or Soundtrack, A-Z. 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