I’ve been rocking with Keyshia Cole ever since I saw her video for “I Changed My Mind” back in '04. She was a ‘lil hood shorty with the ill soulful voice who reminded me of a young Mary J. Blige. When her first album “The Way It Is” dropped I was all in with Keysh cause that album had a TON of bangers on it. From “I Just Want It To Be Over”, “Love” and “You’ve Changed” (the original one with her singing over the Just Blaze produced “Song Cry”, not the replayed one on the album version) to my personal favorite banger “I Should’ve Cheated.” This album STAYED in my rotation and had me looking forward to what Keysh was gonna have on tap next. To say I was let down by her next two releases “Just Like You” and “A Different Me” would be an understatement. Not to say that those two albums were wack but it just didn’t have that “umph” and that feeling that her first album had. It got so bad that I didn’t even bother to check for her last album “Calling All Hearts.” I figured after me not feeling her past two album and with her marrying my dude Daniel Gibson (I been rocking with money since he was playing point at Texas) that since she found happiness that her music was gonna get even wacker, just like Mary’s did. But when I recently peeped the video for her new single “Enough of No Love”, it was like a flashback to when I first got put onto her in the first place cause this song was a banger! THIS was Keyshia Cole! I don’t know who that chick was on those other albums but THIS was the chick I started rocking with from day one. But I wasn’t falling for the ole Jay Z banana in the tailpipe trick, when you make your first single something CRAZY sounding like the old you and all of your old fans think you’re back just to trick us to buy the album and hit us with the ole okie doke and I wasn't falling for that one. But then I heard the 2nd single, “Trust and Believe” and I was like “aiight….shorty MAY be back.” But the thing that put it over the top to let me know that I was getting the old Keysh back was when I was watching an episode of “Keyshia and Daniel” on BET and those two got into an argument and as soon as they got off the phone, Keysh hit up the studio. See, that right there let me know I was gonna get some of the pain and hurt from that argument in her music and THAT’S the Keysh I want. The one when you hear her sing, you hear that hurt and pain. And with her new album “Woman to Woman” on tap, we’re about to see if I’m right about getting the old Keysh back.
Keysh sets the show off right with the album’s 1st single “Enough of No Love” and from the first line I know I got the old Keysh back, "I admit that you almost had me, I admit I was almost crazy, had me thinking of calling that b-tch that night and let her know where she can come meet me." Yup...that's what I'm talking about! “Zero” featuring Meek Mills has Keysh telling her man after he’s been caught cheating that now he’s left with nuthin’, “Get It Right” has her questioning her dude cause it seems like he’s not checking for her any more, “now back to the favorite dress, since when it don’t make you want the sex, does she look like me let’s guess and are you giving her all of the stress you give me” while “Missing Me” is a banger that has Keysh telling her ex, how dare he try to act like he was the best dude she’s had and the album’s title cut “Woman to Woman” has Keysh chopping it up with Ashanti (yup, we’ve actually got an Ashanti siting and shorty sounds REAL good) who’s the next chick her dude’s been creeping with. The Darkchild produced “Stubborn” has Keysh questioning why’s she so stubborn when it comes to love, “nuthin is bruised but my ego, this time the fault is my own, I guess I should’ve called to say I’m sorry, guess I should’ve called to say I care.” The Dream penned “Hey Sexy” gives you that 80’s Prince feeling while one of hip hop’s most underrated producers and the father to Just Blaze’s ENTIRE catalogue Bink blesses Keysh with the banger “The Next Move” featuring Robin Thicke on background duties but my two favorite moments on “Woman to Woman” come into play with “Trust and Believe” and the Jack Splash produced “I Choose You.” Both of these INCREDIBLE ballads have what I like to call that “80’s roller skating” feel to them. I say that because the first time I heard Deniece William’s “Silly” and some of my other favorite all time slow jams from the late 70’s/early 80’s was when my moms would take me to the skating rink when I was a shorty and both of these songs gave me that feeling all over again. And Keysh’s vocals are both tracks are flat out flawless. “Trust and believe me, you’re gonna need me, trust and believe me, she’ll never be me” is what Keysh explains to her ex on “Trust and Believe Me” while “I Choose You” has Keysh telling her man, “if it ain’t you, it’s not worth it, no matter what I do, nothing’s working, baby I know, loves not perfect, even if he could save the world that will never be enough, cause I choose you and if it ain’t you, then it’s just not worth it.” ‘Nuff said.
I can’t front, “Woman to Woman” is mos def Keyshia Cole back to basics with raw, emotional and honest music. I’m not sure if ya’ll peeped it but throughout this entire review I kept saying “Keysh telling her man” or “Keysh telling her ex” so this album is ALL about Keysh dealing with relationships issues, whether they’re good or bad and to be honest, is there a better Keyshia Cole to listen to?
4 outta 5
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