Brandy: Never Say Never (1998). The Next Level
Explicit content warning
06/12/23 • 28 min
1 Listener
B. Cox and Domo review Brandy's classic sophomore album Never Say Never as it turns 25. After her smash eponymous debut album helped make her a household name among R&B fans, Brandy began to diversify her portfolio as an entertainer, starring her own sitcom Moesha, the Cinderella remake and I (Still) Know What You Did Last Summer. In late 1997, she began recording her second album now linked with an upcoming producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins along with his production and writing team of his brother Fred, Harvey Mason, Jr, Lashawn Daniels as well other writers and producers David Foster, Marc Nelson and Diane Warren among others, set to craft a new sound for the maturing Brandy.
Jerkins and his versatile production style proved to be a match for Brandy and her now mature and powerful voice and his production and writing team helped build an album that reflected Brandy's life, struggles and innermost thoughts. He also encouraged her to co-write a few of the songs, which made the project that much more candid and well rounded. The final product was something far beyond what fans or critics could dream of.
The album featured up to seven singles, most notably two #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits "The Boy Is Mine: featuring fellow R&B singer Monica and "Have You Ever?" and the top 20 hits "Angel In Disguise" and "Almost Doesn't Count". The album has been certified 4x platinum and has sold 16 million copies worldwide. It is Brandy's best-selling album to date and is recognized as her best and most influential work.
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Show Notes
Albumism: Brandy's 'Never Say Never' Turns 25 | Album Anniversary
https://albumism.com/features/brandy-never-say-never-album-anniversary
Vibe: Alex Vaughn Remakes "Almost Doesn't Count" for 'Never Say Never' 25th Anniversary
https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/alex-vaughn-pays-tribute-to-brandy-never-say-never-1234764027/
BET: Brandy's "Never Say Never" Was A Semi-Confessional Executed To Perfection
https://www.bet.com/article/y4e2n0/brandy-never-say-never-retrospective-25th-anniversary
The Urban Journal: Essential Albums: Brandy's "Never Say Never" At 25
https://urbjournal.com/brandy-never-say-never/
OkayPlayer: Brandy Talks 20 Years of "Never Say Never"
https://www.okayplayer.com/originals/brandy-interview-never-say-never-20-years-later-okayplayer.html
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B. Cox and Domo review Brandy's classic sophomore album Never Say Never as it turns 25. After her smash eponymous debut album helped make her a household name among R&B fans, Brandy began to diversify her portfolio as an entertainer, starring her own sitcom Moesha, the Cinderella remake and I (Still) Know What You Did Last Summer. In late 1997, she began recording her second album now linked with an upcoming producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins along with his production and writing team of his brother Fred, Harvey Mason, Jr, Lashawn Daniels as well other writers and producers David Foster, Marc Nelson and Diane Warren among others, set to craft a new sound for the maturing Brandy.
Jerkins and his versatile production style proved to be a match for Brandy and her now mature and powerful voice and his production and writing team helped build an album that reflected Brandy's life, struggles and innermost thoughts. He also encouraged her to co-write a few of the songs, which made the project that much more candid and well rounded. The final product was something far beyond what fans or critics could dream of.
The album featured up to seven singles, most notably two #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits "The Boy Is Mine: featuring fellow R&B singer Monica and "Have You Ever?" and the top 20 hits "Angel In Disguise" and "Almost Doesn't Count". The album has been certified 4x platinum and has sold 16 million copies worldwide. It is Brandy's best-selling album to date and is recognized as her best and most influential work.
Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online
Buy Exclusive The Vault Podcast Merchandise!
Support The Vault Classic Music Reviews on Buy Me A Coffee
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vaultclassicpod
Build Your Own Amazing Podcast Website In Less Than 5 Minutes!
https://www.podpage.com/?via=ivecre8
Show Notes
Albumism: Brandy's 'Never Say Never' Turns 25 | Album Anniversary
https://albumism.com/features/brandy-never-say-never-album-anniversary
Vibe: Alex Vaughn Remakes "Almost Doesn't Count" for 'Never Say Never' 25th Anniversary
https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/alex-vaughn-pays-tribute-to-brandy-never-say-never-1234764027/
BET: Brandy's "Never Say Never" Was A Semi-Confessional Executed To Perfection
https://www.bet.com/article/y4e2n0/brandy-never-say-never-retrospective-25th-anniversary
The Urban Journal: Essential Albums: Brandy's "Never Say Never" At 25
https://urbjournal.com/brandy-never-say-never/
OkayPlayer: Brandy Talks 20 Years of "Never Say Never"
https://www.okayplayer.com/originals/brandy-interview-never-say-never-20-years-later-okayplayer.html
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vault-classic-music-reviews-podcast/donations
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Previous Episode
Pop Culture Corner! Menace II Society...30 Years Later
In a bonus segment of "Pop Culture Corner", B. Cox & J. Owe look back at Menace II Society as it turns 30.
The film starred Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, Jada Pinkett Smith, Charles S. Dutton and rapper MC Eiht among others, It was directed by brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. The cult classic, whose story about young black men struggling to overcome their environment, became an instant hit within the young black, urban and hip-hop communities. Featuring a raw, violent and gripping tale of hood life in Watts, the movie is referenced alongside Boyz N The Hood some of the best movies in black cinema in the 90s.
The soundtrack, featuring many artists such Ant Banks, UGK, Brand Nubian, DJ., Quik, Pete Rock & CL Smooth Spice 1 and Too $hort, featured the Billboard Top 100 singles "Trigga Gots No Heart" (Spice 1) and "Streiht Up Menace" by movie co-star MC Eiht. The soundtrack was certified platinum and is recognized as one of the best hip-hop based soundtracks of the decade.
Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online
Buy Exclusive The Vault Podcast Merchandise!
Support The Vault Classic Music Reviews on Buy Me A Coffee
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vaultclassicpod
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Show Notes
Yahoo: "Menace II Society" At 30: The racial reason the street drama was modeled after Goodfellas.
RockTheBells: Menace II Society Turns 30-6 Dope Songs From The Soundtrack
https://rockthebells.com/articles/rtb-rewind-menace-ii-society-turns-30/
'Menace II Society': The Relevance of The Gangsta Movie 30 Years Later
https://fanfare.pub/menace-ii-society-and-the-gangsta-film-30-years-later-b2c84c9d21ae
MXDWN: Life In The Hood. Looking Back at 'Menace II Society'
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Next Episode
(BONUS EPISODE) The Red-Hot Reggae Summer of '03 feat. Kahlil Wonda of Reggae Lover Podcast
In this bonus episode, B. Cox is joined by Kahlil Wonda (Reggae Lover Podcast & Highlanda Sound System) to discuss dancehall reggae in the summer of 2003 and how several hit songs and artists happened to cross over into the American and international market to huge success. It was a phenomenon that had been on the build for almost a decade culminating in a summer 20 years ago that was heavily influenced by dancehall on the radios and in the club scene. Reggae artists and acts like Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Wayne Wonder, T.O.K. and other soca artists like Rupee and Kevin Lyttle were the all-star cast that lead the charge.
They both give personal and anecdotal reflections of that time period, the riddims that dominated the genre, the artists that benefitted the most from this explosion, how it helped and also helped the reggae music genre and ultimately what it meant for culture in the years and decades that followed after it.
Follow Kahlil Wonda, RLP and HSS
Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online
Buy Exclusive The Vault Podcast Merchandise!
Support The Vault Classic Music Reviews on Buy Me A Coffee
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vaultclassicpod
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Show Notes
Reggae Lover Podcast: Best Big Dancehall Riddims of the 2000s. From March 6, 2022.
https://redcircle.com/shows/reggae-lover/ep/bb43a2a8-b11a-4e1a-b04c-47ae6248601b
Billboard: The Diwali Riddim: Creator Steven "Lenky" Marsden Explains How a Beat Nobody Wanted Became the Sound of 20033
LA Times: Riding the reggae wave. From May 22, 2003
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-22-wk-pop22-story.html
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vault-classic-music-reviews-podcast/donations
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