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Is the world
ready for yet another solo female singing sensation? Well,
it’s getting one anyway. Toya, L.A. Reid’s latest project,
recently released her self-titled debut album, and also earned a
spot on the nationwide Dreamchasers Tour, which took place this
past August and September. As an African-American/Puerto Rican
St. Louis native, Toya is a talented artist with her own voice.
Although she may remind listeners of a young Toni Braxton, a
solo Destiny’s Child act, or a new millennium version of
Monica, Toya definitely has a distinctive style that can appeal
to everyone.
On her debut album,
Toya co-produced five songs, and aided in arranging several
others. For a young rookie in the entertainment business,
accomplishing all this is a pretty impressive feat. All but one
of the fifteen tracks are fast-paced, true to the popular
R&B format currently heard on the radio. Toya’s first
single, “I Do,” for example, has the poppy background beat
and a catchy chorus with the lyrics: “so come on shorty if you
think you can roll with an iced-out playa ballin outta
control.”
So what do you do when
you don’t have a clue as to what Toya is talking about? Look
it up in ‘Toya’s Dictionary.’ Printed on the CD insert is
a list of definitions for the street talk lingo used in some
songs. ‘Play me shady,’ for instance, means ‘treating me
like I’m crazy,’ while ‘Finna’ is another word for
Midwest slang. I would have had no idea otherwise.
Overall, the better
songs in the CD are within the first half, including “How Can
I Be Down,” “Think,” and “Don’t Make Me.” The “I
Do” remix, which features Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics, is a
slower version of the hit single, but is just as good as the
original. A favorite of mine is “Moving On,” which
unfortunately, was the only slow song in the lineup.
Toya’s album
basically peaked at the seventh song, but went downhill from
there. The beats got repetitive and songs started to sound the
same. As mentioned before, it would have been nice to hear more
ballads, but such was not the case. Instead, Toya continued to
sing fast-paced, boy-bashing, self-righteous lyrics. And in the
end, it got old.
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| Artist |
Toya |
| Title |
Toya |
| Label |
Arista
Records |
| Reviewer |
Roxanne Reyes |
| Rating |
 |
|
 |
| website |
Toya
Home Site |
| win stuff |
 |
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