B7 (album)


B7 is the seventh studio album by American singer Brandy. It was released on July 31, 2020, through her own label, Brand Nu, Inc and eOne Urban. B7 is her first studio album since 2012's Two Eleven. The album features lead single "Baby Mama" featuring Chance the Rapper, and "Borderline". Brandy's Grammy-nominated collaboration with Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Caesar, "Love Again", is also included on the album.

Background and concept

B7 is Norwood's first independent release on her own record label Brand Nu, Inc. in partnership with eOne. During an interview with the HuffPost Taryn Finley, Norwood said she was letting her "authentic experiences inform her music". Despite feeling vulnerable and in relation to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Norwood said "It all aligned... I didn't plan it like this, but it just happened to fall in the same space so I'm happy about that." Finely asked Norwood to elaborate on why the time was right for new music, Norwood said "Well, I felt like I'm in a great place in my music. I feel very strong about my music, confident about where I am with it. I believe in it, and I just felt like this was the time." Describing the album as authentic and her most personal to date, Norwood said that fans could expect her "entire heart" on the album, with themes of "love and heartache and coming into own and finding own self love".
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Norwood revealed the album had been three years in the making, "I feel like it started about three years ago. I was balancing television and studio time. I put everything I could into this project. It was so freeing for me, because I did get a chance to really dig in and write from my heart of hearts. I was able to really get a lot of things off of my chest, really use music as a way to escape and heal."
Speaking about the process of making the album, Norwood was clear about the dedication she put into the project, "I've dedicated the last couple of years of my life to new music, my new project. It's taken me a while, but I'm so happy about the focus and work ethic I've put into this project." This concept was expanded upon during Norwood's interview with Apple Music, where she stated: "I felt like I wanted to just be as honest as possible with this new project. I wanted to approach this project like if this was my last chance, if this was my last shot at creating music, what would this project be about? What would it sound like? Would I just bare it all? Would I tell my story as deep as I could tell it? And I wanted to, of course, stay true to R&B but at the same time go outside of the box." Similarly, when talking to Entertainment Weekly, Norwood said that she treated the album like it was her last. "I went into this album thinking, 'If this were my last project, if this were the last time I would ever sing…what would I do?' I used that as a way to give my all. You can hear my entire heart on this. It took a while because I didn't want to rush."

Content

B7 opens with "Saving All My Love" which, at first glance, appears to be a nod to Norwood's mentor, Whitney Houston's hit single "Saving All My Love for You". The song opens with the line "Sorry for my tardy", which addresses the eight year period that had gone by since Norwood's previous album, 2012's Two Eleven. Norwood can be heard to explain her absence from music due to spending a "long time broken-hearted" which may also serve as a reference to Norwood's 1995 hit single "Brokenhearted". Lyrically, Norwood can be heard throughout the song to refer to her mentor as the "goat" - a common acronym attributed to Whitney Houston, meaning the "greatest of all time".
Norwood co-wrote and co-produced fourteen of the fifteen songs on the album and worked with the likes of LaShawn Daniels, Kim "Kaydence" Krysiuk and Darhyl "Hey DJ" Camper. Krysiuk contributed to half of the album's songs, and commented on the process of developing the songs alongside Norwood: "When we wrote these records, we didn't follow a 'formula' or song structure... we followed a feeling... That alone really gave us the room to express our emotions without being confined to an industry standard." Part way through the making of the album Daniels, an early career mentor for Norwood, passed away. During an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, Norwood said of the situation that "music therapy" and she " know what life would be without it." Elaborating on being able to work with Daniels on the project she said "it's a little scary because I had to finish it without him... I just wonder: would he be proud of what I was able to put together?" In the interview, it was also confirmed that Norwood had co-written every song on the album, wanting to stop "placating egos", "chasing commercial expectations" and not have her experiences "distilled into other people's words".
The album opens with "Saving All My Love", with the chorus, where Brandy apologises for the long wait for new music and expresses her power as a vocalist, "Sorry for my tardy / Long time I was brokenhearted / Heartache, I'm guarded / I'm talking, goddamn / Let me live / Let me live / Just 'cause I can sing for you / Sounds like Brandy killed it / I'm as solid as a rock without the boat / Came alive, the goat / But I ain't saving all my love"
In an interview with Dee Dowdy from WCCG 104.5 FM, Norwood revealed that she had worked with Camper on the song "Borderline" ; Norwood stated that "if another artist were to have that song, were to sing that song, I would wish that song was my song." Entertainment Weeklys Sabrina Ford described the song "No Tomorrow" as minimalist, saying that Norwood "sings of acting on love with an apocalyptic-level urgency that feels all too relatable right now: I'm gon' blow ya phone up/In case there is no tomorrow." The song "Rather Be" was co-written by Victoria Monét.

Artwork

The album's cover art and title were unveiled on May 7, 2020. The cover pays homage to Norwood's idol Whitney Houston's look from the 1992 film The Bodyguard. In the image, Norwood is pictured face forward towards the camera with "beads cascading down her forehead". Glennisha Morgan from KISS 95.1 FM commented that the cover featured Norwood's signature braids, and the choice of gold beads complimented the gold eye shadow in the cover photo. In writing for Essence, Jennifer Ford called the album's cover nostalgic, and noted that although Norwood had "countless memorable braid moments", the micro braids chosen for the B7 "may be the greatest of all time". The look was designed and styled by celebrity hairstylist Kim Kimble. Meanwhile Morgan also pointed out that font and typeface of the font used on the album was as the same as Norwood's first three albums: Brandy, Never Say Never and Full Moon. Comparisons were also drawn to singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright, who often wore her hair in braids too. The cover art received positive comments from 107.5 FM in an article called Yasss! Brandy Drops Cover For New Album 'B7, where the station declared that they "loved" the cover. Idolator's Mike Wass agreed, saying that the "orange-and-gold-hued cover art" shows that Norwood was "back and she really means business this time around".

Promotion and singles

In March 2020, it was announced that Norwood would release the album's lead single "Baby Mama" featuring American recording artist Chance The Rapper on the American talk show The Talk. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the single was postponed and soon released on May 1, 2020. Prior to the single's release, Norwood later appeared on Good Morning America on May 7, 2020, to perform the song live during the 2020 Spring Concert Series, where she would announce her seventh album and reveal the album cover, respectively.
On July 21, the album was released for digital download/streaming pre-order which included an instant download of "Baby Mama", "Love Again" and a new song, "Rather Be". The latter was produced by Darhyl "Hey DJ" Camper.
A music video for the second single "Borderline" premiered on July 31, 2020. Like "Baby Mama", the video for "Borderline" was directed by Derek Blanks and Frank Gatson Jr.

Critical reception

Clash editor Robin Murray called the album "a triumph. A record worth savouring, it sits alongside NewGen R&B talent while retaining that classic touch. A master of the form, it’s a joy to have Brandy back in our lives." Teodor Zetko, writing for Exclaim!, found that with B7 "Brandy has returned to her roots and the aesthetics that helped popularize her . Authenticity is present on this album; she confidently steers her own ship by taking a new approach by writing every song on the album to create something personal She was the moment in the '90s, and now she is the moment in 2020." Chicago Defender journalist Kimberly M. Dobine felt that "there are parts of the album that I wish were a bit more elaborate and developed from a lyrical standpoint, but overall, I have a strong appreciation for the album It’s cohesive, and the most honest reflection of who she is as an artist today. She is back and better than ever."
Michigan Chronicle critic Ashley Stevenson wrote that "throughout the album, Brandy toys with techno undertones without losing her iconic sultriness bending her voice to each track, even doing some rapping. Although the album is met with mild moments of mediocrity, it never lacks enticement." Stevenson added: "B7 is a vibe, a Saturday morning groove that you can burn candles or sage to. A nod that it is never too late to elevate and evolve; time is a construct and true artistry is never elusive." Similarly, Mike Weiss from Idolator wrote that "this project shows new facets of her wonderful instrument as she muses on matters of the heart over multi-layered, often mid-tempo production. In short, B7 is a mood. This is the kind of album that needs to be listened to from beginning to end, in order to fully appreciate the very personal journey that Brandy takes us on." In her review for The Observer, Kadish Morris was critical with Brandy's rapping effort on songs such as "High Heels" but praised the album's "familiar acrobatic vocals and sublime harmonies."

Track listing

Notes