Chris Brown Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
The instant number one hit "Run It!" proved to be no fluke. Two other songs from Chris Brown's debut album were moderate to major hits, enabling the entertainer to become a popular music star with platinum sales, not just a brief crush for thousands upon thousands of tween-aged females. Brown's second act, released almost exactly two years after his first, takes a "don't fix it if it ain't broke" approach, offsetting the innocent and age-appropriate material with a handful of songs that are squarely placed within lil' Lothario territory. When he works with Johnta Austin and Stargate, out comes young courtship fodder that is boyish enough to be reinterpreted by squeaky clean American Idol contestant David Archuleta ("You're my sweetheart and I'm so glad that you're mine"); switch the collaborators to Jazze Pha and Lil Wayne, and you get come-ons like "You like 28s on a Hummer/'Cause you the number one stunner" and "That's it, babygirl/Put it on my zipper." The two modes have had a popularity-maximizing effect, to say the very least. Falling into the relatively edgy category, the T-Pain collaboration and lead single "Kiss Kiss" duplicated the chart success of "Run It!," and perhaps only someone as likable and harmless as Brown could get away with "And I get a little mannish, and you see the bandanna hangin'/That means I'm like a bandit." You've got to credit Brown and his songwriters and producers for cranking out another handful of easy to remember hits that cover the bases, from upbeat and carefree numbers to go-to mixtape ballads that push all the right target-demographic buttons. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The week "Run It!" was released, it went straight to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first single from a male artist to debut at that spot. That's no slight feat, especially for a reheated version of Usher's "Yeah!" made by a fresh-faced teenager who reps a little town in Virginia that rhymes with "grab a hammock." On "Run It!," Chris Brown is boosted by production from Scott Storch and an appearance by Juelz Santana. The song's way of tempering Brown's small-town innocence with hard-edged backing and a guest spot from an MC of ill repute is clearly a strategy to make the singer appeal to more than tween girls. (Had Brown been coming up in the early '90s, Quincy Jones -- not Dr. Dre -- might've produced him and Prince -- not Luther Campbell -- might've assisted, which just goes to show how much R&B has changed in 15 years.) Chris Brown, a durable debut album, almost always involves an even push-and-pull between what appeals to kids who don't consider street credibility and those who do, all the way down to the visuals: check the album cover, featuring the singer's strained "Don't mess with me!" face, and compare it to the photo spread inside, featuring Brown's natural "Pinch my cheeks!" face. He doesn't often try to sound harder or more demonstrative than necessary, unlike a lot of singers his age who have sprouted during the late '90s and early 2000s, and he rarely oversteps the kind of romantic territory that most teens find relatable. Toughness comes instead from the beats, whether they're provided by the Underdogs, Dre & Vidal, Cool & Dre, or the overworked Storch. While Brown's audience will be almost exclusively 18 and under, few of his fans will feel sheepish in owning this album. He's a refreshing presence, a high-schooler who's neither as family friendly as Will Smith nor as comically vulgar as Pretty Ricky. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
