ALBUM REVIEW: CASSIE - CASSIE

Album Review, written by Toya
Leak date: 3rd August 2006

Cassie's debut album Cassie starts off with the highly addictive Me & U which happens to be the lead single off the album, and when I heard this track over a year ago, I said to myself that this is pretty dominating and would do really well regardless of who the "singer" was. It's extremely hard to take her seriously as a "singer" with vocals that fade into oblivion with the music, therefore indicating that Cassie is no more than just a gimmick artist wrapped up in nice packaging. Now I don't want to get started on the lacking vocal ability because this album is just pop fun with contagious beats that you can prounce around to in your living room or chill out to in your ride. Call U Out sounds like something that could easily have been taken off Aaliyah's One In A Million CD, which showcases the point that she does idolise Aaliyah in some way but their alikeness is not to capacity unfortunately. Aaliyah wasn't just about hot beats and good looks. She could actually hold a note and was a fluid dancer so to read that people actually compare her to such a great artist is kind of insulting and rather condescending.

About Time has a very impressive hook and I'm loving the breakdown during the middle. Cracking stuff. Kiss Me has a very similar laidback beat to a recent Kelly Rowland track. I guess Ryan Leslie's part makes the track worth listening to. Ditto sounds too amateurish for my tastes, definitely one of the tracks that I passed up on. Finally, a fresh track in Not With U with an airy but nonchalant mid-tempo feel. Then she gets back in full swing once more with Long Way 2 Go faithfully reminding us that hot and catchy hooks is definitely her niche. They certainly don't sound as bad as when she tries mellow down her flow.

I absolutely love Just One Night and the beautiful guitar rift drifting throughout the song and blending well with the hypnotic R&B sound. This is more like it. What Do U Want falls short of anything outside of the R&B and Hip Hop circle that has become her notoriety. This song is rock/pop influenced and doesn't bold well with the rest of the album. Best left for artists like your Kelly Clarkson's of the world. I love Miss Your Touch. The song is very stale but it'll always be my jam and lastly, Can't Do It Without You is another cool track accentuated by acoustic guitars laid down with tepid vocals once again. Overall, this is not a bad effort. The beats are nice but sometimes a little too overdone for an artist of her calibre.

Rating: 3/5