What separates K. Michelle from many other singers is that she is REAL. Real to the point where she can admit that the man she loves has a baby by another woman, and she'll never be able to compete with that. She wears her heart on her sleeve, at least when it comes to her music, and, in a world of commercialized artists who are starting to sound mostly the same, I will always appreciate that about this woman.
AWBAH gives that rawness that we've come to expect from K. Michelle, but in a much more mature way. It's clear that K has been busy writing with other songwriters, and experimenting with different sounds, and it worked in an incredible way!
Check out my song by song review below!
"I know it's easy to point your finger at me, cuz I say the things that all of yall think..." "Judge Me"
starts the album off strong as K. Michelle admits that she's only human. She may have messed up in the past, and will mess up in the future, but only God can judge her. Infused with jazz elements, including a short but great saxophone solo, the song had me hooked from the beginning, wanting to hear more!
"Why can't they understand sex is irrelevant. Just a game in my head that I'm playing, and I'm winning..." "Love 'Em All" is the first single off the album, but I can't really get with it just yet. When I first heard it, my first thought was that it came off like K was perfectly fine with sleeping around, but I get what she's saying, I guess. She enjoys just having fun hanging out, and is not really ready to settle down just yet, at least at the time she recorded this. It would be a double standard to judge her for this one. Guys in both R&B and hip hop make songs like this all the time, so why can't she? This is classic K who's going to say how she feels, when she feels, in spite of how you feel. Again, we hear the experimentation with a new sound, incorporating some electric guitar with the heavy beat.
"It's like a jungle sometimes. It makes me wonder how I keep from going under..." K sings on the hook for "Going Under" It's a lighter, mid-tempo track, which uses lyrics from Grandmaster Flash's famous hook from "The Message." K. Michelle opens up about another failed relationship. We all know that she is searching for real love, and she describes that search as a jungle. It's a struggle to want love, and seemingly not being able to find, but she's not going to stop trying.
"You gon' suffer for everything you did. You gon' suffer. You gon' suffer. I done took too much of this..." In the ballad "Cry," K admits she wants revenge on her ex-lover who hasn't treated her well in the relationship, but not the typical tire-slashing way. He may have moved on to another woman, but he's going to see how much K did for him in the relationship, and he's gonna pay her back in tears and hurt. K wants to see him hurt from losing her, believing she was the best thing in his life.
"Love comes and cleans you out. Love's got an enemy now..." "How Do You Know?" is the opposite of "Going Under," where K admits wanting to give up on love completely. She describes love as a fleeting moment sometimes that just takes from her. It's hard to forget the past and start again, especially when she's been hurt so many times. It's a raw ballad and we've all probably experienced her exact thoughts. It's another perfect song where we think it, and K sings it.
"What you gonna do when I put that pretty thing on you? I usually don't do this, but I'd do it for you..." On the mid-tempo "Hard To Do," K admits that she and her man have both messed up in the relationship, but missing him is too hard for her. She'd honestly them rather be making love than fighting. It's a real sexy song, but not over the top explicit. I liked it a lot.
Damn I can't compete with a baby...is there any room left in your heart for me? "Maybe Should I Call" is the second single for AWBAH and I loved it from the moment I heard it. It's rumored to be about Idris Elba, who now has a baby son that was born earlier this year. Even in the video, K almost calls a English number! Regardless of who it's actually about, K shows vulnerability in this song, admitting that she loves a man, but can't bring herself to actually call and express those feelings. Plus another girl and a baby is in the way now. Hard to get around that.
"Wanna eat it up and lick the plate...you know you just can't have one taste, lawd.." "Something About The Night" is another freaky song, but again not explicit. It's clever, using the metaphor of K as dinner and dessert that her man can't get enough. It's something about the night that brings out this side of her! The track incorporates funk, and K's voice blends perfectly.
"I miss the way we used to talk, but I don't miss your lies..." "Miss You, Goodbye" is the track to REALLY get you in your feelings. Anyone who has been in a bad relationship and really moved on knows the feeling of missing your ex sometimes terribly, but realizing that it's better to just be done. You're happier that way. K gives it her all on the mid-tempo track.
"If I could give him a heart that only beats for me...give him a set of eyes that only look at me..." K literally names the names of her exes and their good and bad qualities on "Build A Man Intro/Build A Man." She wishes she could have a little piece of each to create the "perfect" man. The song has a classic 60s Supremes sound to it, as K sings about customizing this man to her specific preferences. I bet a lot of ladies want to be able do this, but that's wishful thinking!
"I'd be the best he ever had, he'd be on his best behavior. He would make me so proud..." On the ballad "Drake Would Love Me," K lets her ex know that even though he doesn't appreciate her, someone else will, like Drake! Seems like it's a little bit of a crush there?! It's not my favorite track on the album, but I liked K's play of words with Drake's actual songs like "Best I Ever Had" and "Worst Behavior." Maybe I'll warm up to it as I play the album more.
"I keep learning the same lessons, while I'm missing out on blessings..." The mid-tempo end to the standard album, "God I Get It," is actually a perfect track to end the album. K admits that she can be a mess at times from drinking too much and acting up to picking the wrong men. She realizes that her choices are blocking opportunities that she could have for her career and life, as she speaks to God very candidly. However, she is working on getting her life together, and it was great for her to put that in song. I definitely think listeners will connect with this track.
I truly LOVED this album. K's sound and material was completely different that what I've heard from her on Rebellious Soul. The main difference between AWBAH and Rebellious Soul is K's MATURITY. She developed great material and music with her songs, just like I hoped she would. K is clearly growing as an artist and as a person, and it's reflective in her music. Honestly, Rebellious Soul was very pass and go. Half of her album was good, and the other half was unnecessary to me (Sorry I wasn't trying to hear how K was trying to f*ck somebody like she was trying to pay bills in that last album [see 'Pay My Bills']). This album, I listened to all the way through, and didn't want to skip...EVER. I connected with AWBAH in a major way, and am proud as a fan of K's growth. This album could very well get her some Grammy noms! If it doesn't, then I can officially say she might have been snubbed.
RATING: ★★★★ 1/2 (Four and a half stars)
I can't wait to have this album in my iTunes library! Make sure to snag your copy of Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart in stores or on digital outlets on December 9, 2014!
What did you think of K. Michelle's sophomore album?
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