Chris Brown - “Indigo” Album Review

Story posted September 2, 2019 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Emily Mugno

Two years after his album "Heartbreak on a Full Moon," Chris Brown released his ninth studio album "Indigo" on June 28. This album consists of 32 songs, including upbeat dance songs, romantic R&B vibes and then a combination of both.

The album starts with the song,“Indigo,” which has the natural Chris Brown sound to it. It’s a high energy song and there couldn’t have been a better song to introduce the entire album.

Out of the 32 songs, only nine artists were featured on the album. The collaborations that were chosen were well executed, but it was nothing out of Brown’s comfort zone.

Trey Songz made an appearance on the album, collaborating on the track “Sexy.”  This was a solid song and one of those combination tracks to keep Brown’s theme. Another great R&B collaboration choice was H.E.R. on “Come Together.” H.E.R. and Brown had great chemistry between their voices, creating such a tranquil song. This was an unexpected collaboration, but a collaboration that made the listening experience that much better.

“Heat,” featuring Gunna, was another great addition to the album. With the contrast of hip hop in Gunna’s unique sound and the R&B in Brown’s sound, it meshed together quite well. An eye-catching collab was between Brown, Kid Ink and Justin Bieber called “Don’t Check On Me,” which had a soothing vibe to it. It contains an acoustic aspect and showcases the talent of each of the artists featured on it.

Where the album lacked was in the field of creativity. Brown’s last album contained 45 songs. That album showcased repetitiveness and seemed a bit rushed. The same seems to be true for this album. Even though both albums had a few hits, that is all they seemed to contain. For an album that had 45 songs and for this one that has 32 songs, there should be more than three or four hits. If an album is going to be released, it should be an album that is carefully crafted and well thought out. Both of these albums sound extremely similar and Brown didn’t seem to be testing the water with other genres besides the one he is comfortable with.

Looking back at his older albums like "X," "Royalty," "Fortune," and "F.A.M.E.," there were still a decent amount of songs but the quality was much better. Each of those albums had staple songs that fans loved and are still popular years later. It is unsure whether this album will have those staple songs.

In terms of songwriting, none of the songs off of “Indigo” seemed to give off creativity. It is understandable that Brown tends to focus more on the dance vibes and tempos for songs, but it is now just a reoccurring thing. Going forward, Brown would benefit from trying different genres, beats, and experimenting with different artists that could make successful collaborations.

Rating: 7/10

 

 

Emily Mugno is a senior majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact her, e-mail esm6@psu.edu.