Keyshia Cole has a great voice, one of the best in the industry right now. (But that's not really saying that much.) And she really shows it on this album. (Although I must say that I think she's trying too hard on "Love.") Except for "We Could Be" and "Down And Dirty", this album has top notch material.

Ms Cole does her thing on this record, which is very good. She also showcases that the greatest instrument should be the human voce with the lyrics and beats nicely complementing. I loved it! My only regret being that it took me so long to discover her music. Keep it coming ma even as I catch up!
It's really a 4.5 stars only when compared to the follow up Just like you.

If not, this one is surprisingly superior. But Just Like You is hot R&B goodness too. Cop em both!

I heard her say so on her show, The Way It Is, that aired on BET last year, I believe. I hear there will be a second season around the time she drops her second album, Just Like You. I'm looking forward to watching that!

Anyway, like I said, Keyshia Cole writes her own music and that is just so inspiring to me these days. They may have haters, but Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Nelly Furtado and even Mandy Moore is now co-writing some (or all) of her songs. And I LOVE that.

My favorite tracks are Down & Dirty, I Changed My Mind, (I Just Want It) To Be Over, Never, I Should Have Cheated and of course, Love.

Not one of these tracks are bad. Not one. Guess What? is OK, but nothing to brag about. But We Could Be is a nice R&B tune.

Overall, if you enjoy modern R&B and you don't mind a few songs sung about love gone bad, then this CD is for you. Keyshia sings quite well and definitely shows it on this disc.

I Just Want It...4.5 stars.
I Changed My Mind...5.25 stars.
(Love) I Thought You Had My Back...upbeat mid-tempo. Classic Keysh. 5.25 stars.
I Should Have Cheated...soulful goodie. 5 stars.
Guess What...Hated it before, now it's decent. I love the swearing! 4 stars.
Love...classic Keyshia ballad. 5.25 stars.
You've Changed...I can relate to this heavily, friend-wise. 4.75 stars.
We Could Be...soulful down-tempo. 5.25 stars.
Superstar...Meh. Filler. 2.5 stars.
Down & Dirty...Grown to LOVE it. 5.5 stars.
Situations...solid R&B.
Never Feat. Eve...upbeat, dance number, sampling my Man Luther's Never Too Much. Best track here. 6 stars.

My main complaint though is with a song that I like, You've Changed: Keyshia tries to hit a note and fails miserably. It's almost embarrassing really. But besides that, these are pretty good songs to jam or sit back and relax to. Recommended.

Cover Art: B
Inside Art: N/A
Songwriting: B+
Vocals: C+
Vocal Emotion: B+
Vocal Acrobatics: B+
Production: B+
Length: A+

5.27 stars - .3 for editing.

4.87 stars.