Two things made me delay getting this disc - I hated Monica's cover shot and wasn't sure what the purpose of her posing like that was AND the release of EVERYTIME THE BEAT DROPS as the lead off single. I was very disappointed in this choice and feared that the entire album would contain songs like this & being unfamiliar with the "snap" music craze, I just didn't get it.

With the release of A DOZEN ROSES (YOU REMIND ME) - my interest was piqued enough for me to give the disc a chance. I really love the use of the Curtis Mayfield sample from THE MAKINGS OF YOU (one of my fave tracks from the CLAUDINE soundtrack!) and I LOVE the video, Monica looks fabulous and she & Jamie Hector sizzle as a screen couple!

I had problems with the following tracks:

SIDELINE HO - although her vocal performance is beautiful & the music production is pretty, I don't care for the lyrics at all so I usually skip this track.

HELL NO (LEAVE HOME) - although her vocal performance is strong, the lyrics and music production are unremarkable

RAW - awful track, can't say anything complementary about this one

The others that stood out to me in a good way & that I enjoy listening to in addition to A DOZEN ROSES are:

WHY HER? - really pretty mid-tempo song featuring an exceptional chorus

GETAWAY, DOIN' ME RIGHT & MY EVERYTHING - are vintage Monica tracks featuring strong vocal & music production

GOTTA MOVE ON - the melody reminds me of A Taste of Honey's hit, SUKI YAKI; it's a catchy track with one negative - Missy Elliot's shout outs during the track

I'd recommend this disc to Monica fans with a word of caution - it's not a strong/cohesive album like THE BOY IS MINE or even AFTER THE STORM. I gave it 3.5 stars because there are more than a few enjoyable mid-tempo & ballady songs that are truly vintage Monica but I'm confused as to what direction she & her producers were going with this project. I hope this doesn't spell the end of her recording career as Monica is one of the more talented songstresses on the r&b scene who just needs to get with producers who can fully utilize & showcase her beautful voice.

I've been down for Monica since the beginning; but now I am FINISHED, I love Monica's voice, but whats up with all these singers wanting to be rappers...WTF!!! I want the soulfoul Monica from the first CD, "Sideline Ho" ARE YOU SERIOUS!!! again WTF!! Could someone please come out with a soulful mature CD, cause this one aint even close.

When Monica released her second "The Boy is Mine" in 1998 she became one of the most succesful R&B artists at the time and you saw her frequently in media and on the music charts. But it took her 5 years to come up with a follower, when eventually "After the Storm" was released in 2003 alot of things had happened in the ever changing world of music. New trends, New Producers and further competiton. Monica deciced to trade her successful Pop/R&B producer Dallas Austin from the "The Boy is Mine" album with Hip Hop producer Missy Elliott. She also repalced the soft and tender style with a more thuggish image and more beat oriented production instead of well crafted R&B with great hooks. "So Gone" was great, but other then that her last album was a dissapointment. It felt like the production was taking over her own image and she was no longer in control of what she was doing, even if she did co-write some songs. My expectations on her new album called "The Makings of Me" weren't big, considering that the producer list looked simular to her last album and that she had been completely invisible for the last 3 years. Now, how does it look?

On "The Makings of Me" Monica doesn't co-write any song but it does feel like it's less thughish and much more personal. Producers are Missy Elliott and Jermaine Dupri, Swizz Beats among others but this time Monica got more control and there are more potential hitsingles too. First single was the obligatory club song "Everytime a Beat Drop" with Franchise Boyz, which is the worst of this album. A club song anyone could have came up with. But that is only one of two club songs with Swizz Beatz produced "Raw" which sounds more polished with an elegant piano backround, only if Swizz could learn to shut his mouth during the hook cause it feels very trying. There are plenty of better numbers though, Curtis Mayfield sampled "A Dozen Roses" with a flava of classic soul. I wonder why it isn't called "The Makings Of You" cause that is what they sing. This song is Misst produced and will be the next single I think. "Sideline Ho" deals with infedelity, "Ain't you tired of being on the sideline?/Tired of getting yours after I get mine?/ baby second place don't get a prize when you gone relize you wasting your time" maybe it deals with her relation with Young Buck, who knows. I think this is the best song of this album.

"Why Her" is a soul ballad even if it is Dupri produced. It also deals with infedelity and the courage to leave a man that isn't teating you right, and sounds as it could be personal, Monica even said during the bridge "Now ladies, you know I speak from experience right?". "Hell No (Leaving Home) feautures Twista and is also a emotional slow paced song about the cheating man. The sample sounds like taken directly from a Chinese Restaurant but the song isn't bad, Twista plays a very small part though. "Doin Me Right" a Missy Elliott produced sweet midtempo about being in love with the perfect man. It's one of the best, but why does she always have to insert her vocals into her productions a la Puff Daddy?. That always bothered me. Midtempo "My Everything" also deals with a great relationship, she claims she's "never been in love like this before". "Gotta Move On" is a slow-paced Song with cool beats, one again Missy's vocals are annoying. Closer, "Getaway" is a adult contemporary power ballad with piano backround. Good but forgettable.

Overall, Alot of things happened to Monica during the last 3 years, rocky relationships, giving birth etc. I thought she was away from the spotlight for too long to cope uo with contemporary music trends, But this album is better then I thought and the songs that appear are mostly songs suited for Monica's voice and style with sometimes personal lyrics. It isn't perfect or betten then "The Boy Is Mine" but certainly one step up from "After the Storm". It also got a few very good songs that could make it on the charts. Way to go!.

Monica has had a career of ups and downs. She started out pretty decent with her debut album Miss Thang. Her second album The Boy Is Mine was the pinnacle of her career, with the platinum single "The Boy Is Mine" easily the number one song that everybody remembers from Monica. She showed a little edginess then when she traded verses with Brandy on the song. But no one could have foreseen the future, as Miss Thang gets a little attitude and turns into Miss Ghetto Booty for her latest album The Makings Of Me.

"Everytime The Beat Drops" is the first example of her newfound ghetto mentality, enlisting the help of Dem Franchise Boyz for the hip-hop portion. Missy Elliott produces a lackluster song with a retro feel to it titled "A Dozen Roses." Monica then reverts back to a potty mouth for "Sideline Ho," an attempt at sounding 'street' to address all the hood rats putting up with the no-good men out here. The fruitless songs continue with the mundane "Why Her" and "Hell No" featuring Twista. "Doin Me Right" features more foul-mouth antics from Monica and lazy production from Missy. Swizz Beatz provides an uninspiring beat for another street anthem titled "Raw." She switches up to a smoothed out ballad called "My Everything" that we are more accustom to hearing from the ATL native. Missy gives another snoozer of a beat with "Gotta Move On" while "Getaway" is another power ballad that comes off as a wonderful Monica classic.

It becomes clearly evident while listening to The Makings Of Me that Monica didn't really have much of a platform for this album. It basically sounds like a bunch of singles that were recorded over the years and slapped together to make up a 10-track collection that she calls an album. Taking in all of her previous successes, it's a shame that The Makings Of Me is the last thing people will remember Monica by. With the flop of her previous cd After The Storm as well as the inevitable demise of The Makings Of Me, she probably won't have another album after this considering there wasn't much of one this time around.

Ahh...what can I say about his Monica production. Shall I say very Ghetto. From her overall appearance to all the tattoos, GHETTO. Not sure what happened to her, but it's a mediocre product at best. I liked 5 out of the 10 songs. 'A Dozen Roses' is good. 'Sideline Ho', is a little of the top. 'Gotten Move On' is good. 'Every time the Beat Drops' is very hip-hop and I like it. However, I must say. Letoya is still killing them all; a much better product, I must say.