Fantasia Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
Fantasia Barrino's first album, Free Yourself, wasn't exactly a flop but it wasn't a hit, either. It debuted in the Top Ten and had four singles in the Billboard R&B charts, which is far from a disaster but it was a disappointment by American Idol standards, particularly for a vocalist who was considered by many viewers, as well as judge Simon Cowell, the most talented singer to yet appear on the show. Talented Fantasia certainly was, but talent can be hard to sell, and Fantasia's problem boiled down to this: she had enough raw vocal power to draw comparisons to such classic soul divas as Aretha Franklin, which is what appealed to the legions of middle-America fans of the show, but that's not a style that has much to do with contemporary R&B, so she was given a modern makeover on Free Yourself. It was a cautious one, though, leaving remnants of her Idol persona -- most evident on a reprise of her show-stopping interpretation of Gershwin's "Summertime" -- surrounded by hip-hop-inflected urban soul like the single "Baby Mama," which was precisely the kind of thing that made fans of "Summertime" recoil. And recoil they did. They wound up avoiding the album, and "Baby Mama" didn't win enough converts to make up for the Idol audience's absence, so Fantasia and company took the only logical step for her eponymous sophomore album: they made it strictly R&B. Since it adheres to just one style of music, Fantasia is a more consistent album than her debut; it has a sense of purpose and it takes greater risks in the production, two things which make it a bolder, better album than Free Yourself. Fantasia is a hard R&B album through and through, a distinction made clear by the album-opening "Hood Boy," a dynamite single built on a blaring Supremes sample and featuring a rap from Big Boi that sets the tone for the rest of the record. Like Destiny's Child in Soldier, Fantasia is celebrating thugs, and with the day-glo Supremes sample skipping and stuttering in circles, "Hood Boy" sounds not unlike an updated version of Ike & Tina, as Fantasia desperately pledges her devotion to strong men. It's inspired in concept and delivery, as Barrino puts her all into it and it works: with this one track, she sheds her AmIdol past and remakes herself into a vibrant, vital diva. Even when things slow down for the ballads Fantasia never sounds schlocky; the songs sound made for DJs and clubs, which is why the album is at its best when it sticks close to that updated '70s soul feel, as on "Baby Makin' Hips" which doesn't hit as hard as "Hood Boy" but it's equally alluring in its cool reserve. So, the sound is right on Fantasia, as is Barrino's performance: she delivers on the promise she displayed on the show, sounding like a full-throttle powerhouse on the faster songs and smoldering on the slower ones. That leaves the only problem of the record: the songs aren't all that great. There are exceptions -- the previously mentioned "Hood Boy" and "Baby Makin' Hips," of course, but also a handful of others, such as the slow-burning "Two Weeks Notice," co-written by Missy Elliott -- but this is a record that rides on its sound, whether it's coming from Fantasia or from the producers, who always present her at her best. This is enough to make Fantasia better as an album and statement of purpose than Free Yourself, but no matter how good tracks like "Uneligible" sound -- and with its fuzz-toned instrumental breaks and skeletal beats, the track does sound pretty great -- it's hard not to wish that there were hooks as memorable as the production. That said, Fantasia does its job: it may not be perfect, but it fully breaks Barrino free of her American Idol persona, giving her a sound and style that she can build a career upon. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
"Love you Clive Davis, thanks for being so gangsta!" So says Fantasia Barrino -- now simply billed as "Fantasia" since divas are, by law, not allowed to have more than one name -- in the liner notes for her 2004 debut album, Free Yourself. This indicates both Barrino's relative naïveté and the nature of Free Yourself itself. Fantasia was the winner of the third American Idol competition in 2004, and while Clive Davis has shepherded all of the previous AmIdol winners and runner-ups, it's possible that Barrino had spent so little time in the music biz that she didn't grasp the depths of either Davis' legacy or his savvy, the latter of which was clearly on display on each AmIdol record. Under Davis' direction, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Ruben Studdard, and Clay Aiken all made records tailored for a specific audience, which is the reason they all had great success (well, with one notable exception), so it should come as no surprise that Davis has steered Barrino straight to the streets to make an album that thrives on urban R&B inflections and style. Free Yourself is looser and hipper than any previous AmIdol album. Gone is Matthew Wilder, who contributed to Kelly's debut; gone are Neil Sedaka and Aldo Nova, who featured heavily on Clay's album. In their place are Missy Elliott, Jermaine Dupri, and Rodney Jerkins, hip-hop hitmakers who give a good indication that this album is striving to seem fresh and hip, something that no other American Idol album has even attempted. Of course, the show-biz trappings haven't been completely abandoned -- Fantasia's showstopping rendition of Gershwin's "Summertime" has been revived, and it's been given an overwrought treatment that's slicker and more mannered than either of her performances of it on the show. And that reveals Fantasia's biggest weakness, which is part of the inherent flaw of American Idol: it rewards contestants who put on a show of being a great singer instead of actually being a great singer. Of all the third-season contestants, Barrino trumped all her competitors in terms of sheer dramatics and histrionics, and that made her more memorable than equally talented singers such as Latoya London. While Fantasia's Macy Gray-meets-Mary J. Blige-and-goes-Broadway voice may have made for great television, where it sounded unique when delivered in two-to-three-minute bursts, it grates over the course of a 13-track record. There's no doubt that she has chops, but the problem is her thin timbre, which is an acquired taste. To doubters, she seems to squawk her songs as much as sing them, but to her fans, it's all part of her idiosyncratic style. That argument was easier to accept when she was only on TV, but like all AmIdol winners, she is less impressive on record than she is on the show. Fantasia is a compelling presence on television, and she has more charisma on record than any of her peers, but without the visuals, her vocals seem mannered and overly histrionic, which may suit her diva-in-waiting persona but doesn't necessarily make her a diva. Unfortunately, Free Yourself decides to play up that diva fantasy, mythologizing her downtrodden beginnings and status as a "Baby Mama" and throwing in several tracks that swagger as if she were already a rival to Mariah. This gives the enterprise a slightly distasteful undercurrent, but the album is well crafted, rarely sounding like a rush job -- only the covers of "Summertime" and "You Were Always on My Mind" sound chintzy, and Fantasia never sounds winded the way Ruben did on his record (however, it is inexcusable that the songs don't match the printed track listing on the initial pressings) -- and it gets by on its sound and style, both from the producers and Fantasia herself. If it delivers no knockout punches, at least it maintains the mood and groove from beginning to end and is considerably more fashionable than anything American Idol has yet produced. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
