Brandy Rayana Norwood’s 4th studio album “Afrodisiac” turned 15 this year. The album served as the Timbaland/Brandy collaboration I didn’t know I needed until it happened. Released June 28th, 2004, the end of my sophomore year of college; the list of star-studded producers included Kanye West, Timbaland, Warryn Campbell and more.
This was a defining new sound for Brandy as this was her first effort away from longtime producer/friend Rodney “Darkchild” Jenkins. It’s been reported that the two fell out when Brandy felt that the signature sound Darkchild created for her was being given to other artists. Another change this album produced was Brandy attempting to become more relatable to her fan base, as her image was always carefully curated by her mother/manager. She was coming off a breakup with “Husband” Robert Smith, which she addressed in the songs “Who I Am” and “I Tried”; there were rumors of discourse with then-fiancé Quentin Richardson which she also addressed in the T.I. assisted “Where You Wanna Be”. “Talk About Our Love”; highlighted typical relationship woes, but from a different angle than her normal cookie cutter approach that was force fed to her fans by her team.
My favorite song on the album is “I Tried” which samples Iron Maiden’s “The Clansman”. The darkest production on the album finds Brandy singing in an effortless tone to a lost love that thought he could he could run game on her. I think this is the first time Brandy ever cursed on a song; telling the past lover she knew what was going on when he left “the room and shit”, and she also knew he “had a bitch” and she “hated it”. I think this the most emotion I’ve ever felt listening to a Brandy song. I felt her pain on an almost visceral level. From the somber production to the cutting lyrics and every guttural ad lib, not everyone has had such a bitter end to a relationship after giving everything, but I feel almost anyone could relate to the anguish of this song.
Overall, this is my favorite album from Brandy. I loved Brandy as Moesha and Cinderella, but she came across on this project as a real person, not America’s sweetheart, and it was appreciated. Paired with Timbaland, she came across a little more gritty than the public was used to. At the time, Afrodisiac served as her most well-received project and performed well on the charts debuting at #3 on the US Billboard 200, and #4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. I’ll say that we are long overdue for another Brandy project with her last album being released in 2012. We are often teased with her tour performances on Instagram, and it was announced this week that she has a single coming with Daniel Caesar, but the collaboration I’m looking forward to most is one teased by Fantasia. The streets have been asking for this Fantasia, Jazmine Sullivan, Brandy collaboration for years and it looks like we may get that sooner than later. If you aren’t familiar, go back and take a listen to Afrodisiac. Let me know what your favorite tracks are from the album, and tell me what other classic albums you would like me to profile.
T.Nicole