LeToya - LeToya Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 08.04.2006
Somewhere in L.A., Beyoncé Knowles plots this woman’s destruction…
My Story
I’m not a huge fan of contemporary R&B, but when it’s done right, you just can’t deny it. Women like Mary J Blige, Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu are in that category. Their sexy, soulful vocals and bold declaration that this is not, in fact, a “man’s man’s man’s world”, draw you right to their sometimes cool, other times steamy tracks. When R&B decides to meld with dance/pop, though, it tends to lose some of its originality and potency and become something just a bit too, well, commercial. LeToya’s previous group, Destiny’s Child, certainly rode R&B’s commercial side for all it was worth, making superstars out of many of its members in the process, but you could never really say the music they made was much more than “accessible” and made for pop radio. Will the diva’s solo debut find her breaking new, deeper ground or will she be content, as her ex-bandmates, to keep riding the cash cow?
Her Story
LeToya Luckett was born in Houston, TX and started on her way to fame early in life. At the young age of 12, LeToya joined likeminded Texans Beyoncé Knowles, Latavia Roberson and Kelly Rowland in the R&B/hip-hop vocal group that would become Destiny’s Child. The trio (all still pre-teens as well) had been together for a few years before LeToya cut in and had even appeared on “Star Search” in 1992 (as Girls Tyme, I believe).
Destiny’s Child was managed by Beyoncé’s father Matthew Knowles and, despite their age, worked for years for their eventual success. By 1997, DC had worked their way out of the local club scene and had shared the stage with established acts like SWV and Dru Hill. It was that year that the labels finally came calling, and Destiny’s Child signed with Columbia Records.
The group was introduced to the world through the soundtrack to the ’97 Will Smith blockbuster Men In Black by their song “Killing Time”. Destiny’s Child arrived the next year, and the Wyclef Jean-produced single “No No No” quickly went platinum. Follow-up singles failed to chart so well, but the group was determined to prove that they weren’t one-hit wonders.
Destiny’s Child came back in 1999 with The Writing’s On The Wall. The lead single, “Bills, Bills, Bills”, caught fire on the radio and soon became the band’s first #1 single. “Say My Name” followed even stronger, topping the charts for three straight weeks in 2000. Unfortunately, during “Say My Name”’s run on the charts, relationships within the group became strained. Both LeToya and Roberson attempted to break away from Michael Knowles’ management, claiming, among other things, that Knowles exerted too much control over the group and favored his daughter Beyoncé and niece Kelly over the other members. Negotiations were in progress when the “Say My Name” video hit MTV. “Say My Name” became know for an obvious exclusion: both LeToya and Latavia had been replaced in the clip by new members Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin! Abruptly, LeToya’s time with Destiny’s Child was over just when things were getting interesting.
LeToya (along with Latavia) sued Destiny’s Child and Michael Knowles in March of 2000, claiming breach of partnership. All parties made their fury felt in the media, but the DC machine went unscathed. Writings On The Wall went on to sell an unprecedented 8 million copies.
LeToya dropped her lawsuit against Destiny’s Child (but not Knowles) in late 2000 in exchange for a settlement, with part of the deal being that the parties would no longer bash each other publicly. As DC continued to tear up the charts, LeToya and Roberson regrouped to form Anjel. The duo auditioned two other members and recorded a demo with Jagged Edge, but dissolved soon after, before an actual record really got started.
Following Anjel’s dissolution, LeToya stepped away from the music business for a while and went back to Houston to open an upscale clothing store. 2002 saw the diva back in the news, once again suing her former band. Both LeToya and Roberson alleged that the 2001 DC album Survivor took veiled shots at the ex-members, breaking the terms of their 2000 settlement.
LeToya returned to the studio in 2003 after signing a solo deal with Capitol Records. She released her debut solo single, “U Got What I Need”, to radio in 2004, but no album followed. 2005 saw the release of a second single, “All Eyes On Me”, as well as a contribution to the Coach Carter soundtrack called “What Love Can Do”, but, again, LeToya’s album debut wasn’t scheduled for release. Late 2005 saw the release of a LeToya mixtape called What It Do!. The set contained tracks from her long in-the-works CD as well as freestyle raps.
2006 marked a third single, “Torn”, which peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B singles chart, as well as news that LeToya’s full length solo would finally be hitting shelves that year.
The Album
On July 25, 2006, Capitol Records released LeToya, the debut solo album by R&B singer LeToya. The CD contains a bonus track, a remix of “Torn”. International versions contain the bonus tracks “No More” and “Somethin’ For Ya”. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts for the chart week of August 12th.
The Band: 7.0
LeToya: vocals
So, the obvious comparisons are going to be to LeToya’s ex-bandmate Beyoncé. I’ve always thought Knowles had some great vocal power (even if her songs are usually crap), but there’s something rawer about LeToya’s singing that is instantly more engaging and more real. LeToya isn’t one of those pop artists who you think would be interesting in a “real singing” atmosphere. She’s more akin to a hip-hop act that can sing pretty well, much like Mary J Blige. LeToya doesn’t wow you with her high notes, but her flow is much better than your typical contemporary R&B act without too much annoying studio polish. If anything, LeToya seems more interested in her street cred than Beyoncé, and the vinyl exclusive first single and underground mix tape from ’05 go pretty far in helping her stand out in the community. In all, LeToya’s singing isn’t going to set the world on fire, but her delivery is rawer and sexier than anything Destiny’s Child ever put out.
Production-wise, LeToya is all over the map. Luckett has been putting this disc together for nearly 3 years and she seems to be free to experiment with producers. Teddy Bishop is the only person to receive multiple production credits on this album, and he only appears twice (once is the hit “Torn”). LeToya doesn’t devolve into relying on hot production tracks, though, and seems to be content with hiring lesser-known board-men that can serve the purpose of the album, a hip-hop leaning R&B track that can sound just as nice at home as it does in the club. The only track that truly stands out is the Jazze Pha number “Tear Da Club Up”, but that one really doesn’t, uh, tear da club up, as much as it just kind of warms the club up.
The album doesn’t really pop much, but it grooves solidly throughout despite its danger of “too many cooks spoiling the soup”.
The Songs: 6.0
1. Intro
2. U Got What I Need
3. So Special
4. Torn
5. What Love Can Do
6. She Don’t
7. Tear Da Club Up (H-Town Version) (feat. Bun B & Jazze Pha)
8. All Eyes On My (feat. Paul Wall)
9. Hey Fella (feat. Slim Thug)
10. Gangsta Grillz (feat. Mike Jones & Killa Kyleon)
11. Obvious
12. I’m Good
13. This Song
14. Outro
First off, LeToya is definitely the sexiest of all the former Destiny’s Child members. You wanna argue with me on that? Fuck off, you’re wrong. The nice thing is that, despite her sexiness, this album doesn’t really devolve into sleaze. The sultry track “This Song” is the best example, a classy, sexy number that declares “I wrote this song/Specifically to make love to you, baby”. With its slow, pounding bass and silky backing vocals, “This Song” is a stand-out if there ever was one. “She Don’t” is equally sexy, a “your girlfriend can’t do it like me” tune that’s handled in a more down-to-earth way than, say, the sordid “Don’t Cha” by PCD.
For someone so street cred-minded, LeToya’s more hip-hop leaning tracks falter. “Gangsta Grillz” seems meant to be fun, but LeToya gets kind of lost in the tune. Doesn’t matter, ‘cause it’s not that good anyway. “Tear Da Club Up” is a little better, but I’ve already stated, I just don’t like the beats.
I never thought “Torn” was that special, and most of this album mirrors that song: Contemporary R&B 101 with just a little originality thrown in for taste. LeToya is classier than most modern R&B albums, but it’s a little less fun. LeToya’s not a bad songwriter, though, and, with this #1 debut, we’re bound to be hearing more from her.
The 411: Six years after she made headlines following her acrimonious split from Destiny’s Child, LeToya is back with possibly the best solo album from any of the band’s ex-members. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of room to grow if LeToya wants to be taken seriously and not quite enough “fun” if she doesn’t. Tracks like “She Don’t” and “This Song” are incredibly sexy, but the album suffers from a bit too much blandness, with too many tracks being lesser versions of “Torn”. LeToya’s less polished vocals, class and skilled hip-hop flow set this set apart from most contemporary R&B albums, so it’s worth a listen if you’re a fan of the genre.
