Cheri Dennis - In and Out of Love
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Cheri DennisEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2008-02-26
Music Label: Atlantic
Soundtracks:
- Intro
- I Love You - Cheri Dennis / Jim Jones / Yung Joc
- Portrait Of Love - Cheri Dennis / Yung Joc / Gorilla Zoe
- Remind You
- All I Wanna Do
- Alright
- In And Out Of Love Interlude
- Dropping Out Of Love
- Pretend
- Spaced Out
- Act Like You Know
- Showdown
- Ooh Ooh
- Finally Made It Interlude
- Caught Up
- Waiting
Free Music Notes for In and Out of Love
Free Music Review: A surprisingly good album.
Hit: 4 Stars
Oh, how an artist signed to Bad Boy Records suffers and waits. Cheri Dennis has been signed to the label since 2001, or possibly even earlier, and she has not seen any of her hard work or time come to fruition until now? Well, I must give her props for patience! In the fall of 2005, she finally released her debut single "I Love You," which was a minor hit. It's an alright track, but definitely not the type I would introduce an artist to the world with, especially since Jim Jones and Yung Joc took time away from Dennis showcasing herself. Anyways, after a week or two, that song came and went. A slew of new artists and albums came out on Diddy's label--including himself and Danity Kane--yet Dennis was put on the back burner and it seemed she would most likely drop off the face of the earth without ever having a disc with her name on it. However, around November of last year a video for "Portrait of Love" came out of nowhere. It was a very new sound for her and quite refreshing to my ears; it's a laid-back, 80's synth pop inspired groove that is undeniably catchy. It fared a little better on R&B outlets and channels like VH1 Soul, but it still didn't make much impact elsewhere. A few days later, the album In & Out of Love was released... only on iTunes, though. Imagine that: six plus years of sitting around for an iTunes only release! Luckily for me and many others who prefer having physical releases, this was eventually released in CD form in February 2008.
To be completely honest, although I really had been anticipating this album since 2005, I also really wasn't expecting much. At most, I thought it would be an average album with standard female R&B fare without much personality; at worst, it would be a typical Bad Boy release with a few good songs and a whole lot of filler. Anyways, I bought this the day it came out, but it actually took me a month or two to actually listen to any of it. (I was a little pre-occupied with the new Erykah Badu joint.) But when I did finally give the disc a spin, I was pleasantly surprised.
Sure, there are a few of the same-ol'--but good ol'--formulaic female R&B songs that we've grown accustomed to over the years. There are the two or three ballads and "baby-making" tracks at the end of the album ("Showdown," "Ooh Ooh," etc.) and unnecessary rap cameos from Yung Joc, Jim Jones, and Gorilla Zoe; still, there are also an equal amount of tracks where Dennis steps out of the box a little bit and makes a stellar track. "Portrait of Love" is one of those to me and even after hearing this song way too many times--and I mean way too many times--it still appeals to me. "Remind You," which I believe may have been the third single, packs a punch with horns, staccato piano notes, and quite forceful vocals and lyrics filled with attitude that I wasn't expecting from her. "All I Wanna Do" and "Dropping Out of Love" both are mid-tempos with bouncy grooves that remind me of something I can't quite put my finger on. (A modern version of What's the 411?, possibly?) "Pretend" is a heart wrenching and dramatic power-ballad drenched with soul and nice harmonies. Both interludes are fantastic and I wish they were extended into full songs. However, "Spaced Out" is by far my absolute favorite track of this set. I see that other reviewers aren't really feeling it but I cannot resist. The production sounds a bit like the Neptunes full of spacy synths and crisp percussion. The song is like something Kelis, Outkast, or maybe even Janelle Monae would do. Even the lyrics are quirky and Dennis owns the track, unapologetically bragging about her unique swagger that is lightyears ahead of everyone else's. To put it quite simply, it is three minutes and forty seconds of pure, other-worldly perfection on my ears. Also, most of the production on this album is top-notch quality stuff. Ironically, some of the most underwhelming beats here to me are on the Timbaland-produced "Act Like You Know."
The bottom line: I didn't expect much from this album quite honestly, especially after all the delays. I thought if I was lucky it would be a decent album full of the usual female R&B clich?s. (And there's not necessarily anything wrong with that if it's executed correctly... I'm a sucker for that stuff!) While this applies to a few tracks on In & Out of Love, there are just as many tracks that bravely venture out into a bit more daring territory and that's when Dennis truly shines. The songs are generally great, as is the production. Cheri's vocals sometimes get a little thin, but at most points, her instrument is strong and controlled.
Key tracks: Spaced Out, Portrait of Love, Pretend, Remind You.
In and Out of Love Poster
With striking looks and knock-you-out vocals, Cheri Denniswas discovered and immediately signed in New York by Sean
P. Diddy Combs himself after impressing him with an impromptu
live performance. Since then, Cheri has appeared on albums
with superstars including Diddy, Faith Evans, Ma$e, and Yung
Joc while recording her debut album for Bad Boy. Cheri's first
single, I Love You , produced by A-list producer, Ryan Leslie
(Beyonce, Snoop Dogg, Cassie, JoJo) exploded onto Billboard's
Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks Chart in 2006 and another
song from her upcoming album, Oh La La was used in the
opening credits of MTV's ratings juggernaut, Making The Band 3
(Danity Kane). Now with help from studio superstars like Timbaland,
Rodney Jerkins and Ryan Leslie, Cheri is back with a tourde-
force debut album of hip hop soul that is sure to strike a
chord with music lovers everywhere.
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