Chris Brown - F.A.M.E. (Album Review)

Chris Brown’s “F.A.M.E.” (Fans Are My Everything) album is due for release on March 18 and by now you should have heard enough singles and leaks to know what to expect. Chris Brown has returned with a fury and leads the album off with the perfect song “Deuces” to shrug off any left over haters from his drama last year. “Up To You” is a nice ballad to follow, then “No BS” drops in and Chris Brown gets his Rated Sex vibe rolling – yes it will be on my Rated Sex mixtape series. “Look At Me Now” ha been banging for 3 months now so you already know that record is fire (check it out on my Unique Styles 2K11 Vol 1 hosted by Def Jam/We The Best’s Ace Hood). “She Ain’t You” is dope, but I have to admit the use of the SWV “Right Here” sample, which is really built on Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature”, had me digging the original song out. That’s the downside of using a classic song to flip.

“Say It With Me” is built for that Euro-club audience and you already know I’m not feelin’ that. It was produced by Harmony, but you can’t tell me you don’t hear Timbaland’s style in that production. If you’re into that Euro-club flavor then get your glow sticks and whistles out for “Yeah 3X”. Breezy went over the top with that one…straight buggin’. I guess he wants to reach deeper into the crossover audience and get that pop crowd, but I can live without that mess pulsing through my speakers. I can DEFINITELY live without any more Justin Bieber so “Next To You” was just too difficult for me to even listen all the way through. “Oh My Love” treads dangerously close to the same vibe, but it’s more of a ballad so it’s a little easier to listen to…still not anything I will play twice.

“Wet The Bed” with Ludacris finally gets back to the Chris Brown I want to hear. I’ve already said it, but this record is dope. I don’t know this producer named Harmony, but I swear the production from Harmony sounds EXACTLY like some Timbaland production. “Oh My Love” starts out kid of funky, but then it slides off to the pop crowd shit again. It’s funky except every time it reverts to the glow sticks and whistles mess I want to run a fork through my ears. “Should’ve Kissed You” is definitely built for radio play, but nothing I would spin on my radio shows. That mess sounds like some Michael Bolton crap to me. “Beautiful People” once again takes us back to the glow sticks and whistles with that corny euro-club shit. “Bomb” straddles the line between the clubs and just a heavy 808-banger for your trunk to rattle. Even with the thump of the 808s and Wiz Khalifa jumping on board with a dope verse, the production has a real corny loop running through it that I can’t stand. Rip that out and this one might be a keeper, but as it is…nope. I did like the Chris Brown line “So much ice up on my neck it look like I play hockey”.

“Love The Girls” featuring The Game is finally another record I can drag to my Serato and run in the mix. This one is dope and bringing The Game on board brings the perfect contrast of voices to make this one of my favorites of the album. “Paper, Scissors, Rock” had to grow on me. The first time I heard it I passed it up, but I’m digging the record the more I hear it. This one actually IS produced by Timbaland, by the way. When “Beg For It” first started I was thinking I had dug out an old Force MDs album, but once Chris Brown gets into the record it takes off and becomes another one for my “Rated Sex” mixtape series.

Overall “F.A.M.E.” might work for Chris as his big comeback album, but with so much crossover music he runs the risk of alienating his R&B fans. I’ll take 6 or 7 tracks at most and the rest go in the recycle bin. Not very good for an album with 17 tracks.

Track List:
01. Deuces feat. Tyga & Kevin McCall
02. Up To You
03. No BS feat. Kevin McCall
04. Look At Me Now feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes
05. She Ain’t You
06. Say It With Me
07. Yeah 3X
08. Next To You feat. Justin Bieber
09. All Back
10. Wet The Bed feat. Ludacris
11. Oh My Love
12. Should’ve Kissed You
13. Beautiful People feat. Benny Benassi
14. Bomb feat. Wiz Khalifa
15. Love The Girls feat. Game
16. Paper, Scissors, Rock feat. Timbaland & Big Sean
17. Beg For It

And no, I will not post a link to bootleg the album. If you're going to buy it though, make sure you get the Deluxe Edition so you don't miss out on the last 4 tracks.