Rhino Review
Keyshia Cole - The Way It Is (A&M)
by Warren Clarke
 :: Buy Now: $13.95
:: Details It's a girlfight, and the ring is a bloody mess. With contenders like Brooke Valentine and Amerie coming out swinging, what's an R&B baby diva to do to claim her spot as the last woman standing? On The Way It Is, Keyshia Cole debuts with a smackdown strategy that will sound awfully familiar to anyone who's been a fan of R&B for the past few years. Add one part something old to two parts something new. Fold. Bake. Yawn. But Cole's sonic layer cake tastes a lot fresher than her tired recipe suggests. With expert production from the likes of Kanye West, Cole mines old-school Philly soul, pitching it into a nouveau hip-hop hailstorm. The fully felt, wobbles-and-all honesty of her vocals will have you reminiscing about a certain Miss Blige. "I Should Have Cheated" and "Love"—a goosebump-maker of a power ballad—find her waving weary despair like a pistol. Like Mary J., Cole knows that airbrushed perfection is no match for pockmarked truth. As with the blues, memorable soul music is often birthed from pain. Cole grew up a frayed foster child on the mean streets of Oakland, and she sings with an ache that sounds like it's just gotta be real—you hear it on tracks like "Love, I Thought You Had My Back" and "(I Just Want It) To Be Over." Her soprano is sweet as peach cobbler, but it's also lived-in and tarnished enough to make the competition sound callow in comparison. With all this sticky goodness, it's disappointing to find Cole wrapping things up on a flat note. Way's final five tunes are as disposable as the previous seven were engaging. Not the best way to end the evening, but it doesn't ruin the night. More Reviews Warren Clarke is a writer who enjoys droppin' it like it's hot and uncomfortable silences. When he isn't off petting horses, Warren may often be found loitering in dark corners between music and film.
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Comments:
Keyshia Cole is great, but these comments left by people other than the reviewer often don't make any sense and are very difficult to read due to poor grammer, terrible spelling, and sheer idiocy.
i love this album by keisha cole i can relate to it.
Keyshia Cole has a very distinctive voice. You cant compare her to anyone else. In the next 10 yrs shes bound to make an imprint on the r&b scene.
Naaaah, I dont agree with simingly average review u gave to this joint! "Final 5 tunes are disposable"?? PLease... What about "We Could Be" song? What about the whole good ol' ol' school soul feel of the album? What about tonns of live musicians playing for the background?The only cut that really doesnt fit in the album is the one with Jada. Just a commercial move. The rest is GREAT!
Her CD is the bomb. Im going to get all my friends to buy it.
ilove this the song love its lie my favorite song im really thinking of gatting the keisha cole cd my friend has the cd and i like number 6 youve changed
i cant explain what this album means to me. It just came out and I have to buy 5 copies just cause I play them so much that they skip. Keyshia is like mary j blige. Her album came right on time and I thank Keyshia so much for being so strong. As far as you Warren Clarke you need to listen to the music and stop taking notes. You would'nt think the tracks are hot because your a guy probably with lotion and kleenex. You should be fired for writing this article. You are the west coast mary Keyshia. Stay beautiful inside and out. Deirdre. VA Stand Up
You should be fired for saying that the last 5 traccks were o goood. You should have beening listening to the whole album instead of play with lotion and kleenex. Keyshia is the west coast Mary J. Blige. Hate it or love it. Keyshia is great. I understand her music cause I know the life she had lead. I struggle myself with exs family and everything else. I play the cd so much that I have to keep buying copies. Thank for thealbum Keyshia you came on time. Thank you. And that wasnt Jada it was Eve. VA stand up
I THINK MS. COLE IS REPPIN' THE BAY TO THE FULLEST SHE IS VERY POSITIVE AND HER LYRICS CAN'T BE TOUCHED. I LOVE THE ALBUM AND RATE IT A TEN PLUS
I think that Keisha Cole is a great new artist. I love her album she's a good singer. I hope to become a singer some day too, but for now I'll just sit back a listen. Oh and I love ya song YOU CHANGED!
this whole album is the jam yall she is my favorite singer the girl can sing her a$$ off keyshia u go girl
chyna from b-more
I'M FEELING KEYSHIA COLE... I WAS HOPING
TO BE THE NEXT HOT YOUNG THING BUT SINCE
I'M NOT, SHE DEFINITELY FEELS THE SPOT
WITH PERFECTION. YOU MAKE US YOUNG BLACK WOMEN PROUD. KEEP DOING YOUR THING GIRL!! KEEP THE HATAS HATIN' MA!
I love the song, Love, by Keishia Cole. It's the BEST!
this album is the BOMB!!!!!!!!!! she did such a good job. I especially love the song love. OH YEA
I like the album my favorite is "I should have cheated. Keisha sings her butt off but I hear Deborah Cox sing that song.
i love this album especially the song "i should have cheated"
I love her song love on her new cd but they wont let it play on the internet.
Man, Keyshia did it up on this song. All her singles went #1, keep doing your thang!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love keyshia cole sond love its has touch my man and me becuz we are very deeply in love and i should of cheated is for all my ex-boyfriends becuz i've should of cheated on all of them becuz they don't appicate me for who i'm but that's ok becuz i moved on to bigger and better things if u know what i mean.
i love her c.d but my favorite song is #7 you changed.
by ebony
her cd is the bomb. But on the cheated song she should have broken upwith him. If she cheated she would have made things worse. Bye
to be honest evrybodys saying keyshia album is great and all that, and yea she can sing, but some of her songs dont make sense. lets take the the song love, she starts off with not thinking she was worthy enough to find love but then she goes on saying she cant believe he's hurting her, then goes right back to love again! i mean she's got the looks and all but she needs to tighten up on her lyrics. AND THATS REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that keysha cole new album is hot and that she should have came out with this album years ago because I think this is her best album since her last one. Also I think that keysha cole is for real with her self and that she doesnt try to put on a fake show that she knows she can't perform. My advice for keysha cole is to keep up the good work.
Yo dis girl's music is hot. She must have gone through a hard time wit dis boy. I think his name is Allen Jordan. Shame on you. My favorite songz on dis CD is 4, 6, and 2. I should have cheated, I changed my mind. Love. Representin Oakland da hardest.
Love,
Blisky a.k.a. "Blaire"
hi am regena gibson from guyana. keisha cole is my favourite singer above all in this world. i love all of her songs. i love keisha because i can see in her vidoes she will always be herself.
I think keisha has done it once and foreall, she has shown her self that she is grown up. keep up the good work.
I love Keisha Cole she is a fantastic new artist
I like her now a lot...she is my favorite artist!
that song love is the shiznit
cool
andshe is hottttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
I THINK SHE SHOULD BEAT HER ASS
i think keshia cole is the best she has a heart of gold and she is like a tomboy but not in a bad way also i think she is like mary j blish
Keyshia cole is so cool. i love her music
well she is an honest person and i like the way she sings and i like her video,love.
love,
keida a.k.a.keidz also tru diva
i'm french and i used to listen the song"love"everyday
Quit hatin! i bet you couldn't make an album any better or go platinum, so until then quit criticizing, the girl is doin her thang, she is keepin it real, unlike most of these polished eye candy R&B singers (eh hem...ciara, beyonce', etc) keyshia is being herself and her album is awesome, it's soulful and its uplifting and easy to relate to, and obviously over 2 million people agree with me, cuz they went out and bought her album.
She is a role model for me and I will always admire her. The first time I heard her song, I learned it by heart.
keyshia you need 2 make a new cd........ even though iim your #1 fan u need 2 make 1 4 me lol
i think its good and every thang but i love keisha she my idol and thats straight up wen i grow up i wanna b just like her can she please call me at {561}-633-3405
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