Chrisette Michele's I Am CD Review

Chrisette Michele a new member of the Island Def Jam family released her debut album this summer entitled I Am. If people are not listening to this phenomenal young lady, music lovers are missing out on a great new voice. Her voice is smooth and just melts over my ears. Her album, I Am, is soulful and full of more than the bling bling or negative images associated with pop music right now. She has a jazzy hint to her R&B melodies that depart form the norm. More than that her words are just touching and moving.
1. Like a Dream. Great intro to this smooth flowing album. It takes me back to when you wanted that boy you liked to even just smile at you and he finally did. It is grown up but cute and the same time. The melody is relaxing and makes me just reminisce.

2. Work it Out. Chrisette shows off her vocals in this one. It is not my absolute favorite. The musical arrangement is outstanding though.

3. If I Have My Way. This is such a throwback. It is definitely one of the jams I would expect to here on the slow jams hour. She's talking about how great it is going to be when she finally makes love to her man. It is really a beautiful (I am going to use that word a lot on this review) song. It creates angst to the point where you just want her to get her groove on. Still, I can imagine this playing in the background of a lot of lovemaking.

4. Best of Me. This is my jam! I could listen to this over and over ... actually I have. If you haven't seen the video you can check it out at here under music. The combination of percussion and strings makes me just want to stroll in a summer's day, barefoot. I like that she is strong enough to move on from him even though there's still a connection.

5. Your Joy. There are two songs on here that I know will be making the wedding rounds and Your Joy is definitely one of them. I actually get a little teary eyed. This is just about how much the girl loves her daddy. It is so simple. There's nothing spectacular going on musically and that seems to be the magic of it. It's just a conversation with her dad. It is touching and ... dare I say it, beautiful. The bridge is out of this world!

6. Good Girl. One of a few poppy songs on here. I could see people jamming to this. It is one of four up tempo songs that she has on the album. She is letting all the dudes out there know that she's a straight up chick that doesn't need to be taken care of. She's a good girl that has her own flow, looking for a decent guy. So you better holla before someone else snatches her up. There's a lot of strings and a good beat to accompany her strong voice.

7. Be O.K. Another up tempo, slightly more commercial cut. I love this one because she is letting everyone know that she will be alright no matter what happened with her relationship.

8. Mr. Radio. This is another smooth flowing song. I am so feeling her because Mr. Radio can always make me feel good.

9. Golden. This is the other song that I imagine will be a staple in many weddings to come. It is beyond beautiful. It takes me back to when I married my hubby and reminds me of why we are together. She sings from both perspectives, male and female. My favorite line, "I'm ready to be like the olden days when commitment was golden." There is nothing at all that I don't love about this song. It is phenomenal.

10. Let's Rock. This is definitely a bop-your-head joint. It is another throw back, in my opinion, to eighties R&B. I think more of her personality shines through. I'm rocking.

11. Love is You. Another reminder of what love should be about. She shows off her vocal skills in this one not by screaming but by maintaining solid control. Accompanied by a piano, Chrisette gives butterflies.

12. In This For You. So, if there is one cut on this album that is my least favorite, this is it. I still enjoy it and sing along but compared to the others, In This For You just doesn't grab me. The chorus is hot and the musical arrangement is solid. Chrisette sings it wonderfully but the melody just doesn't do it for me.

13. Is This The Way Love Feels? Oh my gosh! Is Prince in the house? This is so reminiscent of a Prince joint that I swore he was playing the guitar. It builds nice and slow, reaching a climax that is definitely rewarding. Yes, however you wish to interpret that, go with it. This is one of the sexiest songs on the album and she's just talking about loving someone, not making love. It is worth every bit of the six minutes and 46 seconds devoted to it. Whew!

14. Hero. She ends the album with a touching tribute to everyone that has been affected by tragedy in the recent years. It is soft and touching and moving and creates strong imagery.
What I absolutely love about Chrisette is that her music doesn't have a lot of fan fare. She relies most on her voice and her words. If you are looking for something besides the regular overly sexual, misogynistic, and degrading music out there, Chrisette Michele's I AM is definitely the album to pick up. It is in stores now.


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