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It's been about two years since Keyshia Cole graced us with her debut album which had many R&B aficionados proclaiming Cole "The Next Mary J. Blige", as if the queen had left her throne already. Like Mary, Keyshia came out ghetto-fabulous with a tough, attitude-bearing, battle-scarred exterior that belied the sweetness and the pain that were present in every note she sang. And also like Mary, Keyshia was blessed with a huge, emotive, powerful voice; an instrument she could not wield in the "proper" technically-proficient way, but rather one she used to convey what was deep inside her heart; one that she used to bare her soul.

And wield it, she did. Instead of going along with the trend of gimmicky hip-pop and guaranteeing herself a place in the Top 40, Keyshia made an album full of pure R&B songs; complete with that old-time feel, strings, bridges, codas, and a little bit of that 90s swing. In a world dominated by the likes of Rihanna, Keyshia was a breath of fresh air. "Who is that girl? All off-key but just sangin' a damn song?"

With the release of "Love", folks started to take notice. People were talking about Keyshia Cole and also like Mary, a lot of it was negative. But as Keyshia surely discovered while watching her album slow-burn its way to well over platinum status; as long as people are talking about it, it's all good.

A bit over two years later, Keyshia is back with her sophomore album, Just Like You, and words can't express how excited I was for this album. I always felt like Keyshia had no place to go but up. Now that the album is here, the verdict is in. And the verdict is... good, mostly good. On one hand, I feel like Keyshia has definitely grown in some respects. But on the other hand, I feel like Keyshia definitely played it safe. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, because this is one of the best albums I've heard all year; but there's a real stasis here, I think. Perfectly balanced, predictably safe. Keyshia definitely avoids the sophomore slump, but was there a price to pay?

As I can imagine everyone's sick of hearing it, and I know I am too, so the Mary J. Blige comparisons end here. I read one review where the person declared this album a failure seemingly just because it wasn't My Life. :-p As far as I'm concerned, The Way it Is was always Keyshia's My Life. It's not her fault that folks weren't paying attention. :-p


For the most part, Just Like You sticks to the same formula as The Way It is. It's still R&B with the street edge, and with minimal wanderings into dry pop territory. And yes, her songs are still about no-good men; telling off said men, letting go of said men, and then mourning over said men. But hey, that's alright with me. That's the story of R&B music; that's what Keyshia knows, that's what she wants to write about, that's what she's gonna sing about. Better that than some of the stuff I've been hearing in songs lately...

The album opens up with the first of its all-star appearances, "Let It Go" featuring Missy Elliot and Lil' Kim, produced by Missy. Honestly, I wasn't too fond of this song at first and it made me nervous about what to expect on the album. First there was the over-used "Juicy Fruit" sample; and then Missy and Lil' Kim nearly stole the song because neither have sounded that good on their own material in a while. Whereas on the first album, "To Be Over" opened the album taking no prisoners. It opened with those drums and horns; it sounded like an Alicia Keys song, even produced by Krucial Keys, but Keyshia made it loud and clear: I'm Keyshia Cole, I'm here, and this is my song. She came out bellowing that song like there was no tomorrow.

On the other hand, "Let it Go" actually plays more like Keyshia being introduced by Missy, despite Keyshia opening the song with the little acapella part. This is a fine example of how I think Keyshia's vocals have changed. This was introducing a quieter Keyshia. Dare I say Keyshia has mellowed out? Her voice is inherently loud and strong, but there's a smoothness here now, very unlike the jagged feeling that the notes in "To Be Over" set for the first album. Gone is some of the strain, that quality that I originally described as "cramped". To anyone who isn't me, that just means she's a better singer now, but it was that wild, uncontrolled quality that made her songs so exciting. Like "Oh my God, is she actually gonna reach that note???" The fledgling is gone, the noticeable breathing is gone. In its place is something smoother, something quieter, something more confident and sure of itself.

But needless to say, "Let It Go" grew on me like fungus and it's still one of my favorite songs on the album. That's a pure 90s type of jam, overused sample aside. And whatever is going on with the music during Kim's verse is HOT. 5 stars for the real, extended version (get it from ITunes). 4 stars for this edited video version that they put on the album for some reason. Ugh.

"Didn't I Tell You" featuring Too Short is up next. For some reason, this seems to be one of the more controversial songs on this album (watching people debate in Keyshia's shoutbox about it). It's either considered the best song or the worst song. I'm firmly in the "one of the best songs" camp. It's the closest to a club banger on the album and is basically a hip-hop song with singing. And that's fine with me because Keyshia has the right voice and the right attitude to pull this off and have it sound great. It's not Fergie 2.0 or whatever, in that Keyshia is always credible riding a hard beat like this. In that respect, it's almost reminiscent of "Situations" on the first album-- which was one of my faves by far. Too Short's rap wasn't all that, but it's acceptable and I like his contribution to the song. In fact one of the defining impressions on the album is that Keyshia ain't sitting at home curled up crying with her heart broke. :-p That's my new tag line, in fact. Also keeping in line with the new subdued Keyshia, there's this note in the song (starts at around 1:58). It's not spectacular, but it's quiet and it just lazily rolls over the beat; and then it kinda mirrors itself towards the end of the song. That's one of my favorite parts on the album. 4 stars.

Next up is "Fallin' Out"; one of the few songs that I actually kinda consider a ballad. I read a few reviews where people dismissed the album as a bunch of ballads, and I was shocked because I just heard a lot of midtempos. Not what I generally consider a ballad. Keyshia just doesn't have what I think of as a ballad voice. "Fallin' Out" is a nice song; it's pretty straightforward and displays her growth as a vocalist. It's very 90s and sounds like something I would expect from an up-and-coming 90s diva. The vocals are beautifully layered and lush; and there's a very nice pre-chorus crescendo. So 90s. *Dies.* 3 stars, only because I wish the end had flushed out to something grand in true diva style.

"Give Me More" is another of my favorite songs on the album (not to be confused with Brit-Brit's "Gimme More"). Color me just a wee bit surprised that this is Scott Storch, but it's a rather grand midtempo number, great for the vibe, and Keyshia's vocals are just delicious here. There's the part where she has this little catch in her voice. The song just has a really great vibe, and I love the music which is why I was surprised it was Scott Storch, wannabe Timbaland. 5 stars.

"I Remember" is probably the catchiest of the ballads here. It's a big number; not quite of "Love" proportions though. It's a gorgeous number for Keyshia, but there's just something I really hate about the chorus. It sounds so sing-songy and I kinda hate the way she sings the "so sad and lonely" bit. But then again... can that phrase ever NOT sound generic and corny? 3 stars.

"Shoulda Let You Go" is up next, and forgive me for lying, but this does sound like Mary J. Blige's "Enough Cryin'". Though I think that's less to do with Keyshia and more to do with Darkchild, the producer of both songs. Regardless, this is my jam. Another midtempo number with the street edge that compliment's Keyshia's voice so well. This one sounds like it would have been right at home on the first album. 5 stars.

Enough with Mary. The next number, "Heaven Sent" actually has a Mariah Carey vibe. I can just imagine Mariah singing this song. This is probably my favorite of the slower numbers. I just love the whole call & response part, "Everybody say I wanna be the one..." 4 stars.

"Same Thing", the interlude. Keyshia's arguing with some dude, and lamenting the fact that it's the same old thing with him. Maybe would have liked to hear this one fleshed out as a whole song. Okay... moving right along....

Up next is another of the album's highlights, "Got to Get My Heart Back". LOVE this. It has the perfect vibe to it; it's kind of dark and moody, a very subdued vocal perfromance by Keyshia. It's perfect for just nodding your head to in the dark on a Saturday night. No big hip producer here either, just Ron Fair and a well-used O'Jays sample. And there is a little rap inserted... but KEYSHIA does it-- and of course, it happens to be the best rap insert on the album. Clues, signs, Keyshia? Less is more! Keyshia actually has a pretty nice, mellow flow. And then there's the little Lisa Stansfield reference she throws in that drives me wild-- "Been around the world (and I-I-I-)"! A total jam, probably the best on the album. 5 stars.

Following that up is another strong point on the album-- "Was it Worth It". I love this one because it retains that raw quality that was oh-so-present on her first album. Her vocals sound quite different here... it sounds like it could be a live performance. It definitely has that wild, raw, breathless quality of the songs on her first album. The song is pretty dramatic, the music is VERY dramatic. A little more upbeat and fast-paced than the rest of the album, but it has a lot of that Keyshia-sadness to it. There's some real fire, pain, and anger in this one. Just listen towards the end when she goes "Saaaaaid and done! I cloooosed that door!" Excellent vocals by Keyshia and I love the background vocals also; the addition of the male vocals adds a richness and fullness to the chorus. 5 stars. Send this one to the radio, please...

The title track "Just Like You"... it's decent, but it's not my favorite. This is almost like Keyshia's "letter to the fans", and I always hate those types of songs. Please just ignore us. :-p Don't address us in a song, please. It's kinda like breaking down the fourth wall. Keyshia's isn't that annoying though, fortunately. And it does seem more like a plea and a statement of self... and in Keyshia's case, maybe even to herself. It's a nice song, and I love the bible verse at the end, aww. "Take the time to get to know me, the real me, I'm just like you... I'm tryin' to be happy." Is this supposed to be her big "My Life" moment? Almost... her vocals are definitely on point for it, but she really should have left out the "look in the mirror part". I may or may not be slowly becoming a lyrics prude, but some things start sounding incredibly cheesy after the millionth time. 3 stars for the assault of that line.

Up next is the duet with Anthony Hamilton, "Losing You". Another one that isn't my favorite. Pretty much a standard R&B duet. Anthony Hamilton is indeed wasted, despite a fine vocal performance. The song was just not worthy. I feel like any random dude could have been on the song. If you're going to have someone like Anthony Hamilton who's pretty much just known for being really good, then you should just go for it. Have some amazing, big song-- think "One Sweet Day" or something! 3 stars.

Why the heck is "Last Night" on here? And then it's the edited version too. At least give me the whole 7-minute shebang! Boo. Hiss. Go away. It was *the* standout on Diddy's album, but on Keyshia's, it seems out of place and lackluster. And it's the EDITED VERSION!! *screams* 3 stars for using radio edits, grr.

"Work it Out" just kinda slides by. Kind of your standard-fare R&B number, featuring Keyshia giving some standard-fare R&B vocals. It's decent; not remarkable. Not bad. Yeah, it's filler. 3 stars.

And finally.. we have a very unnecessary remix of "Let it Go" featuring T.I. and Young Dro. Meh. It doesn't really add anything to the song. The rappers are pretty lackluster. It was just unnecessary since the original "Let It Go" plays like a remix itself already. I much would've preferred a "Shoulda Let You Go" remix. 3 stars.
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Overall, it's a pretty strong second showing for Keyshia. It definitely won't hurt her career any; in fact, she's all set to gain a wider fanbase. Its weaknesses are the sameness of theme, the overall "smoothening" of her vocals, the use of the two radio/video edits instead of the full songs, and the standard-fare filler tracks thrown onto the tail end of the album. It definitely doesn't end as strongly as it started. I much would have preferred the iTunes-only bonus track "Trust" to have been on the CD version ("in your life! in your life!" Keyshia KILLED this one like Celine Dion or somebody; go find a copy of this song if you don't have it!) And as much as I love my R&B straight-up... I feel like this may even be a little too straight and narrow. I like my Keyshia angry and cursing and spitting on the track. She mellowed out! :-p And there was a little disco/fun feeling to her first album that I loved, best evident in the fun, bouncy tracks "Never" and "Guess What?" I feel like her "dance" tracks on this album lean towards the trendy Southern type of stuff, like "Didn't I Tell You" and the remix of "Let it Go". Overall though, it's a strong set. I don't like it as much as her first album, but there are plenty of good songs, and plenty that are ready for radio. A solid 3.93 rating. This is an album I'll be listening to for a while, regardless.

And weird factoid: Her album thank-yous include Nicky and Paris Hilton. Hmmm....