Album Review: Keyshia Cole "A Different Me"

If there were ever one artist that brings it with every album, it's Keyshia Cole. Her ever-changing image & crazy family aside, Keyshia never fails musically. Despite the confusion caused by her unfortunate lead single choice of "Playa Cardz Right" with 2Pac, Keyshia does change it up a bit with her appropriately-titled new album A Different Me. For someone like me who loved both Keyshia's The Way It Is & Just Like You albums, it's a change that feels somewhat unnecessary. Still, I went into A Different Me with an open mind & it all thankfully worked out for the best.

The "A Different Me "Intro"" starts the album off & though I might not usually acknowledge things like intros, this one is worth noting because, like the interlude from her last album, Keyshia offers something here that could've easily been turned into an excellent song. "Make Me Over" is the first full song though & it's probably the only true uptempo on the album. It is the first sign of a different sound for Keyshia & is encouragingly one of the album's highlights. "Please Don't Stop" is also somewhat uptempo & features a great hook. If you can get past the *unique* beginning of "Erotic," then you'll be in for a treat because this midtempo is definitely a new sound for Keyshia, but it works very well. Second single "You Complete Me" follows & is more of what we are used to from her, which results in some soulful goodness.

The Amina-assisted "No Other" is a decent track, but why can't Amina just record her own material & get off of Keyshia's records? Nas joins Keyshia on "Oh-Oh, Yeah-Yea," which I can only think to describe as seemingly simple, yet incredibly enjoyable. "Playa Cardz Right" is next, which Keyshia sounds good on, even though it simply isn't first single material, & it's followed by "Brand New," a much better slow jam than it appears to be on the surface. I absolutely love Monica on "Trust." She & Keyshia sound great together.

I can't help but feel like "Thought You Should Know" slightly resembles album filler, but Keyshia's vocals always set me right. Another highlight on A Different Me is "This Is Us." There's nothing quite like a gorgeous Keyshia Cole ballad. "Where This Love Could End Up" is a solid midtempo in the style that only Keyshia can pull off. The final song on the album is "Beautiful Music," which actually describes the track well. It may be more laid back than we are used to from her, but it just goes to show how talented Keyshia truly is. The "A Different Me "Outro"" wraps up Keyshia's third album in a wonderful way.

I can't help but be positive when talking about Keyshia Cole. That's why even though I think I like her first two albums a little better, A Different Me is a worthy addition to her solid discography. Keyshia is a phenomenal talent & she really does create some of the best R&B music of our time. It's good to hear from this 'different' side of her because she is happier now, as she should be.

Rating: 5/5 Stars