Sevyn Streeter
Shoulda Been There, Pt. 1
(Atlantic Records)

It’s sad to say, but talent isn’t always enough. That seems to be the case when it comes to Sevyn Streeter. A co-writer and friend of Chris Brown, Sevyn seems to have a disconnect with her audience. Her new project, Shoulda Been There, Pt. 1, is pleasantly good. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy her music and have followed her career for a while now. It’s the lack of promotion that may leave consumers feeling like it must not be that good.

As always, I have my favorites. This project was pretty small and to me had way too many interludes. The concept of interludes is a bit dated in my opinion, however that doesn’t distract me from hearing quality content. “Boomerang” is sexy, sassy, edgy and what I consider, in 2015, R&B should sound like. The track alone encourages you to dance, which a lot of songs don’t do for me, personally. “Consistent” gives me a nostalgic Janet Jackson feel, but is definitely edgier. I love the light-hearted sarcasm in the lyrics of exposing in detail a no-good man. “Shoulda Been There” sounds personal to Ms. Sevyn. The song explains that haste makes waste and features her current “bae” (boyfriend), B.o.B., who eloquently professes to being smarter than her last guy. There are only two other songs featured on this project, hence my previous statement on it being over-saturated with interludes. The songs flow very nicely and if you are a true R&B fan, there will surely be something on here you can vibe too. Listen to my top three first.