On the follow-up to the platinum selling, Grammy nominated, 'Just Like You', Keyshia Cole apparently wants to introduce you to her sexier side, made even more apparent by the Rihanna styled album cover. The only question is: Will the sexier side work or leave fans yearning for the drama filled, little Mary J. Blige inspired, diva's return?'Make Me Over', which realms of early Tina Turner, isn't necessarily a stellar track, but the message surrounding it is a nice way to start off the set given the album's title. 'Please Don't Stop', sort of continues this trend, because while both songs are different from the songs you would typically expect from Keyshia, this one is actually pretty good.
The sexy, 'Erotic', produced by Polow Da Don, is a striking winner from beginning to end, while 'You Complete Me', set to serve as the second single, revives the aspects of the Keyshia we originally fell in love with.
'Trust', a duet with real life friend Monica, is another highlight, but sadly it's Monica that steers the track to gold, more so than Keyshia. Both ladies sound good, but the track overly proves who's actually the better singer, and her initials aren't KC.
The striking, 'This Is Us', is rare gem that transcends the typical Keyshia Cole audience, at times its pop, at times R&B, and even country, put simply, the track is great.
'No Other', which boasts the unneeded assistance of Amina Harris, 'Brand New', and 'Thought You Should Know', are among the other tracks on the grounds of solid.
The lead single, 'Playa Cardz Right', almost ruined the perception of the album (no disrespect to 2Pac), given it was a weak lackluster attempt to carry an album, while Nas did nothing to help 'Oh-oh, Yeah-yea' from following the same lackluster path.
'Where This Love Could End Up', 'Beautiful Music', and the repeatitive 'A Different Me' intro and outro, which could have been enjoyable had the run time been cut in half, are among the tracks that failed to make the grade.
Overall, the album was a lot better than I had anticipated, and though at times Keyshia does give you glimpse of her sexier side, its mostly just the same Keyshia we've always known, which I'm sure her fans will appreciate. That aside, she really failed to do anything shocking, and at times her voice can be a little to much and overshadows the track, which in many cases isn't a good thing. The guests features, aside from Monica, are all useless and while the production is pretty keen, the writing and subject matter is a little too narrow.
Still, 'A Different Me', doesn't leave you feeling shortchanged.
3.5 out of 5
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