If you were to ask an industry newbie what they aspired to achieve as an entertainer, the list probably includes a lot of what’s already a reality for Brandy Norwood. Her irresistible and eponymous 1994 debut, Brandy, went multi-platinum and introduced pop and R&B audiences to a Mississippi native with a sweet face and sultry voice in the process of becoming a star. From the 90s forward, Brandy’s effervescent ‘girl-next-door’ persona translated into hit singles (“I Wanna Be Down,” “Have You Ever,” “What About Us,” “Who Is She 2 U,” “Put It Down,” to name only a few), million-selling albums (Never Say Never, Full Moon, Afrodisiac,) sitcoms and TV/film roles (“Thea,” “Moesha,” “Double Platinum,” “Zoe Ever After,” I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor) and becoming the first African-American woman to portray Cinderella (ABC, 1997) and the lead role (along with Lana Jordan) in Chicago The Musical (2017). 

Even with personal and professional turmoil—a contrived image-conscious ‘marriage’ to the father of her daughter Sy’rai, a broken engagement from executive Ryan Press and a 2006 auto collision that was settled out of court without criminal charges, yet cost the life of another driver—Norwood has earned numerous honors and awards, retaining first-name-only recognition and a fervently-devoted fan base, which should enjoy her latest release, the stealthily-released and achingly expressive B7. 

Helmed with the Grammy-Award nominated songwriter and producer, Daharyl “DJ” Camper (Tamar Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and NeYo), Brandy basically delves into her experiences as, well, a grown-ass woman, in front of and away from the spotlight. At 41, she’s far from a relic but is certainly seasoned in life’s ups and downs, and with the well-honed chops to convey them: Camper’s tracks, though coherent, have a gossamer, airy feel to them, swirling under Norwood’s vocals like a musical embodiment of mist: “Lucid Dreams,” for example, asserts self-determination and clarity about what she won’t allow herself to endure in the name of love: “One more strike and I’m out, I had to figure it out/before I lose, lose me to you.”

The soothing cadence of one of the first singles, “Borderline,” acknowledges vulnerability with a new love……(click here to read the full B7 review at soultracks.com)