b7
Brandy
2020
When people wanted a seventh album from a superstar whose first name started with a “B,” Brandy delivered a project that forced listeners to deal with her unconventional risk-taking, whether they wanted to or not.
Psychedelic Soul/Downtempo
BY DA’SHAN “NIGHTSHAWN101” SMITH
FEBRUARY 11, 2024
For more than twenty years, Brandy often gets mistaken for being “sweet” and “too nice.” That’s why her music creeps up on the ear in the best way possible. Just when a song is figured out, she throws a curveball. Whether that’s in an unexpected, but risky ad-lib or vocal layering. Whether that’s a ballad containing a subtle hip hop boom bap bass. Whether that’s in a last minute quip in the lyrics.
Sometimes you can listen to Brandy’s music and be like “well… ok then!” She’s full of surprises, and usually the risks that she does take pays off. For twenty years, Brandy has always been conscious of her sound– and she’s quite meticulous with her artistic choices.
But to the common ear– even some of the fans that feel like they’ve got her figured out– this can often lead to her being criminally underrated. People will take a dig at Brandy and her music whenever they feel like they have the opportunity to do so. And that’s a shame.
There is a pattern in how Brandy releases her music– particularly her studio albums. She may tease them in the press for a long time. But when they finally drop, it feels as though they come from out of the blue. When least expected. Her seventh studio album, aptly titled b7 feels no different when looking at the entirety of her discography.
It had been eight years since she released her last LP, Two Eleven . That one not only celebrated her birthday, but also mourned the death of her idol, by channeling the musical spunk of Whitney Houston in the most Brandy-esque way possible. Two Eleven embraced up and coming producers who were within earshot of shaping the sound of 2010s R&B. Although it didn’t commercially fare as well as the smashes she previously released in the ‘90s and early 2000’s– it still kept Brandy relevant. But eight years is a long, long time when the industry is forever shifting.
b7 works as a continuation of 2012’s Two Eleven when playing the albums back to back. Two Eleven finds the songstress getting personal and even more confident— but over the soundscapes of cloudy R&B and hip hop soul that harkens back to her foundations in the ‘90s and 2000’s. B7 works as a statement piece of risks that delves more into someone who is grappling with the downsides of their psyche. Therefore it immediately calls for the usage of psychedelic soul.
The opening track, “Saving All My Love” plays as part autobiographical and part streams of consciousness. “Sorry for my tardy,” confesses Brandy before notifying her fans “long time, I was broken-hearted and guarded.” She’s frustrated: “I’m talking goddamn.” It’s her way I’ve alerting listeners to pay attention to what she has to say. Through the song there are peaks of confidence, as she refers to herself with “sounds like Brandy… candy.” If you’re not reading the lyrics, you might mistake it for “sounds like Brandy… killed that!” due to her enunciation. The title in itself picks up from Whitney Houston. Whereas on Two Eleven she’s moreso celebrating, on this album she’s more so mourning. Her thoughts take their time to be completed as they pause themselves with broken vocal delivery.
Much of b7 moves about like waves crashing in outer space. “Unconditional Oceans” finds a synth breaking up like a wave, with a church bell ringing in the background during one of the hooks. It’s stunted gospel that happens to swing in the mood of a party anthem but on the notes of a more serious midtempo. “Rather Be” finds her breaking down in the midst of saying “why you even trying to ignore me.” It’s a blissful ballad that channels aquatic quiet storm that included “kissing you” in the title. “Lucid Dreams” compartmentalizes that water as drops of rain from a stream stick and click throughout the instrumental. In ways, her vocal performance and rawness captures Donny Hathaway’s brilliance.
Much of mental health is discussed throughout b7 . She gives an intentionally shakey performance on “Borderline” as she confesses “in the end, I’m the only one… who's gonna be torn apart.” Ready for the lover who she’s singing to to commit, suddenly there is a feeling of cold feet. “Don’t you ever hurt me, I’ll change on you,” she warns.
Much of b7 ’s first half is full of darkness. By “No Tomorrow” as she hits a higher soprano range with the word “beautiful” the album reaches its brighter tones. It’s the start of bliss. With a jubilant organ, “No Tomorrow” recalls how Brandy has the ability to make an R&B song about the secular topics of love, sound as if they are actually meant for gospel airplay. It's the beginning of her seeking to find peace as a tormented soul. The one who is “free to move about the cabin” and “hop in the Mississippi River,” as stated on “Saving All My Love.”
From “No Tomorrow” on Brandy is occupying a space of being manic. That’s not truly realized until she gets to a song that reveals it all: the piano ballad titled “Bye Bipolar.” “Say Something” finds her on a progressive ragtime swing meets R&B jam which emotes her pain of being ignored in the toxic love situation. Once she’s ghosted, there is the Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know”-abiding “More Than,” which is fueled by an electric guitar and a rap bridge. Here her hurt extends past the love situation and her mental state. Just as she’s done on 2004’s Afrodisiac , she’s addressing the state of her career. It becomes clear why she named the album b7 .
Naming her project b7 is a chuckle for those intertwined in the worlds of “Stan Twitter” and “R&B Twitter.” For the longest, fans were questioning Beyoncé, when her b7 was coming. Everyone knows Beyoncé does not address her fans online until it’s time for her to sell something. Her personal life is a bit of a mystery until she confesses on wax. But still: “where’s b7 ?” persisted. But guess who else had a highly anticipated b7 in the waiting room? Brandy.
Brandy slyly naming her album b7 is nothing more than a diva being competitive (and quite ballsy). B7 also happens to be Brandy’s seventh studio album, so she wanted the world to know “this is the real b7 .” Beyoncé gets mentioned in this review because on “More Than” during that rap bridge there is some subtle shade. “I am here for the world,” she roars. “Been here for the world, king b!tch,” she proclaims. “Been an original since 1994, ask a snitch,” she gloats about the start of her solo career. And here is where the alleged shade takes place: “Never catch me comin' off of a bench playing the six/Never catch me in a group singin' with some other chick…”
Brandy is showing that she’s built up her legacy on her own without having to sing in a group. But what makes it even more of an odd, coincidental statement is her interpolation of Eminem’s rap from The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Dead Wrong.” “I got a lion in my pocket, I'm lying but not lying/I'm a lion in my pocket.” Not only is she bragging on her worth, she also happened to be competing against the re-release of The Gift , Beyoncé’s soundtrack compilation for Disney’s remake of 1994’s ‘The Lion King.’ All of this is happening on a song where she’s singing “I Am More.”
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Related Tangents
On b7 , we find Brandy at her realest and most vulnerable since Afrodisiac . It’s the lyricism that drives this project home. And also the sequencing: the next song is “High Heels,” a duet with her only daughter Sy’Rai where she raps again in a braggadocious manner. Brandy’s rap alter-ego, Bran’Nu mentions, “Sy'rai's my jewel/All of my pressure created a diamond and baby, it's you!” That rolls into “Baby Mama” produced by Hit-Boy– a controversial single that confused even some of her deepest fans on why she would go trap and uptempo HBCU blaring triumphant marching band horns. In this phase of the album, Brandy is in party mode. She’s unapologetically celebrating being a single mom after a series of failed relationships she’s chronicled in previous albums. The “brokenhearted” and “All My Life” mentions were not at all a coincidence.
B7 is a composite project that sees Brandy embracing all of her eras. It’s her most human masterpiece to date. Just as Rihanna has her Anti that breaks apart her signature sound to deliver a scattered opus, b7 works as just that for the 2020’s Brandy, thanks to the help of the album’s main producer, DJ Camper. Released independently, Brandy found herself in a new era where she furthered her usual risk into a new identity that only her real fans will appreciate. And the best part of it all is that it’s official b7 and no one can try to rewrite that narrative!
“Saving All My Love” for being a powerful, unorthodox opener that sets the mood for the entire album.
“Rather Be” for being a calming and relaxing masterpiece that wasn’t afraid of showcasing Brandy’s brilliance when it comes to her softer vocals.
“I Am More” for roaring with such ferocity and being unafraid of what Stan Twitter would think.
“High Heels” for being the ultimate party anthem and an undeniable, uptempo standout in the midst of a tracklist full of somber music. Rocking production from start to finish.
“Borderline” for being a gut wrenching, heartfelt performance that is so fun to vocally challenge yourself to shall you dare to sing along.
Key Tracks
When b7 dropped it received a lot of flack from fans of Brandy’s other albums. However, this is one of her most cohesive projects– and when she takes risks they work. Unconventional in its style, Brandy elevated her craft to offer a sincere project that related to the timing of its release.