Nivea:
Nivea - Jive Records

Release Date: 3 February 2003

Reviewed by Melisa Tang

1. Still In Love

2. Ya Ya Ya - (featuring Lil Wayne)

3. Don't Mess With My Man - (featuring Brian Casey/Brandon Casey)

4. One For Me, The

5. Laundromat

6. You Don't Even Know - Nick Cannon

7. Run Away - (featuring Pusha T)

8. Just In Case

9. No Doubt

10. Never Had A Girl Like Me

11. Have Mercy

12. Don't Mess With The Radio

13. 25 Reasons

14. What You Waitin' For

15. Check Your Man

16. Cats Got Your Tongue

17. Jewelry

18. Problems

19. Don't Mess With My Man - (remix, featuring Brian Casey/Brandon Casey/Mystikal)

Nivea Album - Nivea

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, this talented 20-year-old is preparing to set 2003 on fire with the release of her self-titled debut album. Since making her breakthrough on Mystikal's smash hit 'Danger' in 2000, Nivea has been in the studio putting the finishing touches on her own LP, which boasts production from the likes of Organized Noize (TLC & Outkast), Bryan Cox (Toni Braxton), The Neptunes (Jay-Z & Nelly), and R. Kelly.

As with most RnB albums, the theme of the majority of songs is love and relationships, and having co-written half the material on her debut, we can safely assume that Nivea is either drawing upon her own experiences, or that of her friends or family. Either way, she seems to have successfully conveyed the thoughts and feelings of many young females on the mid-tempo ballad 'The One For Me', and the more upbeat 'You Don't Even Know' (ft. Nick Cannon), on which Nivea displays her playful rap skills, reminiscent of the late Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez.

Nivea experiments with different genres of music, from RnB to pop, to hip hop, and one particular song that is getting a fair amount of airplay on Choice FM at present is 'Ya Ya Ya', featuring her rumoured fiancé Lil' Wayne. The first of two R. Kelly-penned tracks, this is an infectious laid-back tune about an unimpressed Nivea being approached by various guys - "fronting with me like you's a real baller / And I be like Yeah…ya, ya, ya." On 'Laundromat', the soft lyrics are filled with attitude and opens with the line: "You's a lying, cheating, son of a…". The soulful delivery from both Nivea and R. Kelly makes this a surprisingly good collaboration, telling of an unfaithful boyfriend and his scheming ways.

Also included on Nivea's LP is the remix of her Grammy-nominated single, 'Don't Mess With My Man', featuring Mystikal alongside Brian and Brandon Casey of Jagged Edge. This massive track reached the coveted number one spot on the US RnB Singles Chart last year, and despite having been around for a while, is still getting heavy rotation on UK airwaves.

Other songs which stand out on 'Nivea' include the heartfelt '25 Reasons', the catchy 'Just In Case' and the brilliant 'Check Your Man', featuring fellow ATL native, Mystikal. This collaboration provides an added incentive to purchase the album, as it only appears as one of five bonus tracks exclusively on the UK release, which is quite surprising, considering how much chemistry there is between the two artists, almost guaranteeing a smash hit. Each of these songs, including three of the bonus ones, are co-written and co-produced by Nivea herself, proving just how talented this rising star is.

However, with so many cuts on her UK debut, (19 in total), it is expected that there will be some low points, and for me, these were 'Don't Mess With The Radio', and the Neptunes' produced 'Runaway' (ft. Pusha T of Clipse), both of which were too "pop-orientated" for my liking.

Nivea's brand of pop-infused RnB is likely to bring her comparisons with Christina Milian, who also made her recording debut on a hip hop record, but with her own unique style and undeniable talent, Nivea looks set to differentiate herself from all the others and become one of few crossover successes.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Top three tracks:
5. Laundromat
6.You Don't Even Know
19. Don't Mess With My Man (Remix)

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