Artist: Melanie Fiona
Album: The MF Life
Released on: March 20, 2012
Returning with the follow-up to her 2009 debut album The Bridge, Canadian singer Melanie Fiona releases her sophomore album The MF Life, which continues on the path of fusing genres to create Retro Soul and Pop songs of love and lack thereof. Fiona has been making a stamp on the music industry as a newcomer recently earning two Grammy Awards for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song “Fool for You” with producer Cee-Lo Green. The MF Life contains productions from Rico Love, Salaam Remi, Andrea Martin, J. Cole and more.
The opening track “This Time,” produced by J. Cole, is a hip-hop/soul song where Fiona learns from the past and promises to do things differently in her new relationship. The collaborative bars Cole presented were a nice fit, but I did not feel the song was the best possible start for the album because it did not really set the tone for what was to come. The song should have been placed midway through the album. The second official single “4 AM”, comes in following an odd transition of sequencing and Melanie speaks of the torment and emotions a woman faces when she finds herself waiting up in the wee hours of the morning for her man to arrive home. I loved this song from first listen, it has feelings of despair, desperation and avengement all at the same time. Also, “4 AM” is Fiona’s highest charting song to date, landing at # 13 on Billboard’s US R&B chart. “Break Down These Walls” is a powerful song that left me wanting more. Approximately, the last two minutes of the track contained a guitar solo that I loved, but I wish she adlibbed over the break taking it to another level of power vocals more than she did with the verses. That suggestion would have added another dimension making the song much more convincing. Subsequently, the beautiful melody ”I Been That Girl”, co-written by rapper and Fiona’s former group member Drake, displays her lower register and descending modulations on the chorus. I love her velvety tone on the track and the cadence in which she uses to sing the pre-hook.
“Wrong Side of a Love Song” is a great ballad that really allowed Fiona to exhibit her vocal capability and agility. She soars over the captivating guitar riff and delivers commanding vocals permeating through the melancholy. I can’t get enough of this song. However, my favorite song on The MF Life is “Running” featuring legendary emcee in the game, Nas. The track has such a vintage sound with incredible horns that I could actually hear Amy Winehouse singing over. Then, much to my surprise, I discovered Winehouse’s long-time producer and collaborator was the wiz behind the track. Melanie’s vocals shine powerfully and are simply amazing on the track. There was nothing at all to critique. On “Change the Record”, Fiona is joined by rap artist B.O.B. for a piano-driven Pop song with staccato vocals about making the decision to evolve after a dissatisfying union. The first single released “Gone and Never Coming Back” is a song that immediately grabbed my attention months ago, I just loved how poetic the lyrics were and I would sing the song every single day. My fav section is the bridge when Melanie sings “Whoever said look on the brighter side/has never been on mine/whoever said that he’ll get his/never felt like this/ain’t no use in crying/when you’re done like that/’cause baby, baby you took something that I can’t buy back.” Continue reading →
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Tags: Melanie Fiona, Music Reviews
