Nearly two years after the release of her debut album, I Am, Chrisette Michele reemerges with her sophomore effort, Epiphany.This time with the help of Compound Entertainment, which consists of Claude Kelly, Chuck Harmony and singer/songwriter Ne-Yo, Chrisette infuses her jazz vocal styles with an elaborated Pop feel that verges on Hip-Hop/Soul.
The titled track, “Epiphany”, begins the set with her singing two key words, “it’s over”, and those very words would continue to be a recurring theme throughout the album. The track eyes the songstress finally grasping the urge and strength to leave a womanizer after being done wrong time and time again.
“Notebook”, travels into to teen territory as she writes x’s and o’s in the struggle to express just how she feels about a special person, while “What You Do”, which features Ne-Yo, sees the songstress giving an ultimatum of staying or leaving depending on how he chooses to express his feelings. The track is basically saying actions speak louder than words, which is a situation that tends to become a problem in relationships day in and day out, because actions tends to outweigh saying “I love you”, especially if you aren’t backing that statement up.
“Blame It On Me”, showcases her simply wanting out no matter what the expense, and even taking the misplaced blame for the failed relationship. Aside from that, it’s just such an impressive track and manages to roll into overdrive with her rich and emotional vocal delivery.
“All I Ever Think About”, deals with the complication of those sweet memories shared with a special person that she just can’t seem to get off her mind or heart, while “Playin’ Our Song”, moves into up-tempo territory and although a solid offering, it proves that slow cuts and ballads are just a much tighter fit with her voice.
“Another One”, deals with insecurity as she notices personality changes when her man is around a crowd, which is a feature that makes her consider moving on to the next.
“On My Own”, highlights that the songstress needs to find a way to stand on her own feet and fight her own battles, while “Fragile”, sees her wanting the comfort her man around, because her heart has reached its breaking point.
“Mr. Right”, talks about finally finding that guy that is her saving grace and completes her puzzle, which is done with the use of a retro old-school vibe. It’s a track that Lauryn Hill could have easily recorded during the era of her 1998 effort, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
“Porcelain Doll”, is an empowering anthem where the songstress boasts that she is not a trophy, but rather a full grown woman, while the dramatic closer, “I’m Okay”, sees the songstress rehashing the memories of a failed romance with the use of her exceptionally controlled vocal delivery.
In conclusion, there are a lot of great things about the album, starting with how it plays out like the stages of a breakup from the confrontation, the actual breaking up, being on you own, and finally making the transition into a new relationship, which in this case turns out to be just as bad as the first.
Other positive things include her trying to do something different from her first effort and though, at times, the writing skills of Ne-Yo can be sort of limited, the combination was great, because it didn’t completely compromise her jazzy and often bluesy sound.
In fact, based on quality, Chrisette’s album rightfully occupied the No.1 seat over fellow R&B star Ciara, and even though, Ciara will likely sell the most in the long run that still doesn’t take away from the quality of Chrisette’s riveting project.
4 out of 5
Celebrity Bug’s Key Tracks: “Blame It On Me”, “Epiphany”, “On My Own”, & “Notebook”
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