Spins: Album reviews

Keyshia Cole – Just Like Me

Artist: Keyshia Cole Album: Just Like You Label:Geffen Genre: R&B/Soul Of all the artists to emerge as this generation’s Mary J. Blige, only Oakland’s Keyshia Cole seems to have the chops to handle the job. With her sophomore album, Just Like You, Keyshia Cole makes her presence felt with a solid set of quality R&B. Like Blige, Cole wears her heart of her sleeve, singing candidly about her heartache and pain with a sincerity that is truly rare. Cole’s voice is an instrument of true grit. It has an earthy and urban gruffness to it that is indicative of the artist’s “round-the-way-girl” persona. Cole is a tough chick who will tell her man to get lost at drop of a dime and most of the album’s best tracks showcase this aggressive “take no shit” attitude. Club bangers like “Didn’t I Tell You” and the dark “Was It Worth It?” are propelled by pounding bass drops and razor sharp kiss-offs. But the album actually works best when riding a mid-tempo groove as on standout “Got To Get My Heart Back”, a gorgeous track that swims around a delicate piano, soaring strings and 90s flavored production. Scott Storch adds his touch to “Give Me More” another instant classic with lush production that seems to reference early Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans. “Last Night”, the electro-flavored duet with Diddy, turns up on the album and with good reason. The innovative track was one of the best singles of 2007. The ballads here are also an improvement over Cole’s debut, with heartfelt vocals on tracks like “I Remember” and “Heaven Sent” showcasing the singer’s growing versatility. While it may be true that Keyshia Cole continues to be compared to Mary J. Blige, Just Like You is proof enough that she is developing into her own unique artist. www.keyshiacole.com myspace.com/keyshiacole Purchase at Itunes Purchase at Amazon

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