Tweet Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
If It's Me Again had a couple more up-tempo tracks and fewer scene jackings from Missy Elliott, it would have no trouble matching the greatness of 2002's Southern Hummingbird. Elliott's berserk (not Bazerk) squawks vandalize return single "Turn da Lights Off," a Kwamé co-production touched by old-school elegance and vinyl crackle à la Monica's "So Gone" -- another moment when Elliott should've been blocked from the vocal booth. (Get on the bus, indeed; where are Road to Stardom judges Teena Marie and Dallas Austin when you need them?) Like on Southern Hummingbird, slow tempos and spare arrangements dominate, but restlessness is bound to set in during the latter half. Though few songs are second-rate, their similarities make them bleed into each other too much. Additionally, nothing on the album is as magnetic or odd as "Oops (Oh My)," which -- to be fair -- had to be expected. Several inspired songs do make It's Me Again desirable, so there's really no reason why anyone should think of Tweet as a one-hit wonder. Besides, she's far too charming and bewitching, serving heavy dosages of wisdom and sweetness. "Iceberg"'s off-kilter combination of pricklish acoustic guitar and widely spaced beats make you feel like you're getting a toe tickling and a deep tissue massage simultaneously; "Things I Don't Mean," a laid-back disco-funk jam, is unique in its form of regret ("I didn't mean the lie when I said to you, 'You make me sick, you can pack your sh*t, I'ma be alright with or without you'"); "Two of Us," shared with daughter Tashawna, will be thought of as sweet by any parent and corny by just about anyone else. While this follow-up doesn't make any improvements on the debut, it'll please fans. That said, if Tweet doesn't shake things up a little and takes another three years to make her third album, she shouldn't be surprised if she loses a good chunk of her audience. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
'Southern Hummingbird'
Release Date 4/2/2002
Tracks 17
Label Goldmind
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Prior to her debut album, Southern Hummingbird, Tweet made her name as a protégée of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, appearing as a backing/guest vocalist on a few tracks with Elliott and, naturally, Elliott's producer, Timbaland. It should come as no surprise that those are the two dominant personalities on Southern Hummingbird, even if Tweet produces and co-writes several cuts here, since this whole axis has one sound that has served them well. Served them so well, it's given them critical and chart hits, along with a host of imitators, so there is no reason to abandon it now, even if the skeletal rhythms and endlessly looped riffs are beginning to wear a bit thin. This formula depends more on the overall sound of the track than the charisma of the singer -- but, ironically enough, it works best when its fronted by somebody with personality, like Elliott. Tweet fades into the mix. She's attractive and is sweetly sexy, but isn't forceful. That works to her advantage on the lead single, "Oops (Oh My)," where she's so taken by a seduction she can barely speak, or even name who's taking her. Driven by a clever Casio-bass clarinet loop, it's the hottest thing on the record, punctured slightly by Elliott's disarming murmur, "I was feeling so good I had to touch myself," but it's good enough to withstand that. The rest of Southern Hummingbird sustains the essential feel of that track, occasionally forcing a Sign o the Times-era Prince to the forefront (which is welcome), and it does have a few songs that distinguish themselves, such as "Smoking Cigarettes," but it all blends together a little bit too much to be distinctive and, as such, it has a faint feel of product, a slow seduction record for the Timbaland-worshipping hipster set. A feel that is only enhanced by the end of the record, when Tweet actually records her thank you shout-outs as a full track, then, as a bonus, there are two uncredited Missy Elliott tracks that don't seem to have a trace of Tweet to them. Their inclusion is puzzling, unless you consider them the overdue payment of distinctive hip-hop for those hardcore fans who sat through the even-handed, stylish but samey urban soul that is Southern Hummingbird. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
