Brandy
Never Say Never (Atlantic)
She’s achingly wholesome, R&B’s braided answer to Sandra Dee. Brandy Norwood’s debut, “Brandy,” tickled the ear with perky, head-bopping grooves that spoke of friendship and teenage crushes, but the follow-up fails to live up to the diva-in-waiting status bestowed upon her the last go-round. Indeed, the latest fare from the singing star of UPN-TV sitcom “Moesha” is astoundingly mediocre. Norwood calls in chart-toppers like Mase and Monica for cameos, but “Never Say Never” never manages to shake its canned flavor. Norwood spends most of her time singing of love, from the co-dependent ballad “Have You Ever” to the mid-tempo catfight “The Boy Is Mine” to the I’ve-been-dissed-but-I-will-survive blues of “Tomorrow.” There’s nothing wrong with teenage bubblegum pop–somebody’s gotta do it. Still, Norwood’s definitely sounded better in other ventures; here, her voice sounds thin and virtually undistinguishable from the other synthetic studio wonders inhabiting R&B.
