Mya Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
With all the emotional and stylistic range that an album called Moodring should present, Mya comes up with her best and most varied set of songs yet. The album's biggest highlights are almost completely different from one another, demonstrated right from the beginning; the opener, the strutting, boastful, Missy Elliott-produced "My Love Is Like...Wo" is immediately followed by the yearning, elegant "Falling." The constant changes of direction can be a little jarring on the first couple plays, but they eventually become one of the album's charms. Even the two expectedly strong Jam & Lewis productions, the blissed-out "Anatomy 1On1" ("Let's make a child") and the stressed-out "Late" ("Should've been more careful when I let him rock my boat") are at two ends. Most surprising of all is "Whatever Bitch," a stage-ready booty track in which Mya shows off her foul-mouthed catty side. Two big (mis)steps back threaten to kill her momentum, however, and they both come at the very end of this very long album: the bloodless cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" is worse than you could possibly imagine, and the awkward inclusion of "Real Compared to What," the soft drink ad that originated as a civil rights/Vietnam protest song, was a very bad idea. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With her follow-up to her commercially successful debut album, Mya has taken a small step towards shedding her squeaky-clean image and embracing a more mature sound. Many of the best moments on Fear of Flying come with the help of other artists such as Jadakiss of the Lox and Left-Eye from TLC. With producer Swizz Beatz behind the soundboard for her and rapper Jadakiss making his presence felt on "Best of Me," the single is the album's highlight. "Takin' Me Over" featuring Left-Eye shows that when pushed Mya can hold her weight among R&B heavyweights. Without the energy of collaborators in the mix, many of her solo tracks wander into predictability. The album relies too heavily on tepid ballads such as the title track and "Man of My Life." Yet songs like "Can't Believe," "For the First Time," and "Lie Detector" show an emotional depth that lacked in her debut. Mya's sophomore effort proves that she is a promising young talent, but still has yet to develop the chops necessary to rank among the best of R&B divas. ~ Jon Azpiri, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Mya's eponymous debut is a smooth, sultry collection of well-crafted contemporary urban soul that is actually richer than the average urban record the late '90s. Part of its success lies with the teenage Mya, who has a voice that is at once innocent and knowing, and part of it lies with her excellent team of producers and songwriters. Executive producer A. Haqq Islam has assembled a stellar behind-the-scenes team -- featuring Babyface, Diane Warren, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and members of Dru Hill -- which has written and produced a fine set of songs that manage to sound universal and strangely confessional. That's because many of the songs on the record are loosely about a teenager becoming a woman, which is a subject Mya can convincingly sell. There are a few weak moments, to be sure, but overall it's a thoroughly promising debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
