Miss Keri BABY is back! The “
Turning Me On” singer returns to the music scene with her sophomore effort “
No Boys Allowed”. Her first album “
In A Perfect World” was a solid effort, but with this venture Miss Hilson turns up the sex, and aggression. Following the theme of “
No Boys Allowed” Keri brought along the help of MEN for the LP with the likes of
Chris Brown,
Rick Ross,
J.Cole,
Kanye West, and
Nelly.
Kicking off the album is the gritty
“Buyou” which has a fed up Hilson commanding the “man of the house” to “buy you a phone, buy you somewhere to stay” or else she would end up walking right buy him. It’s a perfect way to get the party started, full of banging bass, and hardcore lyrics, it’s sure to be a fan favorite. J.Cole also delivers a swift verse which caters to the whole “you’re to good for him, I’m the better guy” formula, which in this case is a win.
One phrase that would perfectly describe this album would be, “
Street but Sweet”, a phrase coined by the late r&b singer
Aaliyah in reference to her style. The songs flow into one another like a rollercoaster, of softness and aggression. Keri delivers smooth vocals over boasting beats with coy lyrics as in the reggae dancehall riddim drenched “
Bahm Bahm” when she sings, “you never gave me not one warning, now boy your loving is a problem” and “you’re to much for me and I can’t take it, oh boy you got my body shakin..”
The album has 3 standout tracks which come in the form of “
Gimme What I Want”, a “take no shit, this is how it goes” anthem for the ladies. “understand, the woman is the boss, and if they don’t get it, tell em to get loss” Hilson preaches, while she continues demand to be given what she wants; “
Beautiful Mistake” which has breezy laid back production reminiscent of the late 90’s. It’s something everyone can relate to. “and I wish that cupid’s arrow never hit, never went through me, wish I never crossed that line, wish I never gave you this booty,” she reminisces; and then there’s the
Danja produced “
Toy Soldier” which is the perfect track for her “Men not Boy’s” mantra. It has all the writings of falling in love with one who talks the talk but doesn’t back it up. Vocally and lyrically, this is Keri at her best.
While taking a complete 360 from her previous work, Keri has maintained to trying something new and stepping it up a bit, without steering to far from what her loyal fans are used to. With all the new material, you almost forget about the first single release “
Breaking Point” and it’s follow up, “
Pretty Girl Rock”. Compared to the rest of the makeup of the album, those tracks could be respectably considered as filler tracks. If Keri Hilson continues to raise the bar for herself with each album as she did with this one, there’s no telling where she can do, or what she can in this business.
Guest Written By Wanye