Chrisette Michele 3rd LP - Let Freedom Reign

Chrisette Michele is hands down one of the best voices in R&B. The Grammy award winner has been a breath of fresh air for the R&B world since her signing to Def Jam. Her airy flow has been asked to bless tracks from the likes of Jay-Z’s Lost Ones and Nas’ Can't Forget About You and most recently Rick Rossand Drake for the hit Aston Martin Music.

Michele’s third disc LP, Let Freedom Reign, is a balanced effort that shines harder than anything else that you will hear that falls under the R&B flag. Chrisette uses Let Freedom Reign to explore a wide range of topics from love and love lost, to war and poverty making this a well rounded album.

The title track Let Freedom Reign, featuring Talib Kweli andBlack Thought, finds Chrisette flexing her emcee skills to voice her opinion on social ills going on in the world. The trio goes over the Chuck Harmony-produced track for a social commentary cipher that would make Chuck D proud. Black Thought shines the hardest on the track with lines like, “In this world of coonery and tom foolery/ I’m trying to stay true to my community/ The daily news ain’t the only thing schooling me/ With these haters running around like they got immunity.”

Chrisette shows that she’s no slouch on the mic spitting lines like, “Can/ By coincidence/ We love the elected/ Until they are detected/ As being human…most of us don’t know what to say/ Right or wrong/ Free or slave.”

So In Love finds her back riding shot gun with Dade County’s finest Rick Ross. Over slow rolling piano keys, Chrisette sings about allowing herself to love someone; “Without my permission/ My hearts on a missions/ It’s got a mind of its own.” Ross delivers his usual combination of money, cars and clothes but he finds himself falling to the background asChrisette’s voice takes the spotlight.

One of the stronger tracks on the disc is I’m A Star. Once again, Chrisette takes you on an emotional trip through her ups and downs to where she is today. You can hear the emotion in her voice as she sings to her own emancipation; “Tell em baby I’m a star tonight/ I’m up in the sky tonight/ For the world to see/ I ain’t thinking bout you/ Baby I’m gonna do me tonight.” More on the Pop side of things, I’m A Star could be a song you hear on the radio sooner than later.

With So Cool, Chrisette sings a love letter to an absent lover letting him know that she’s good. Over Ne-Yo’s production work, she belts out, “So after everything you put me through/ Just want to let you know that I’ve moved on/ And baby I’m so cool, so cool.”

Let Freedom Reign will stand out amongst the other CDs you’ll find in the R&B section. While others may focus on what would work on the radio or what would sound good in a club, she makes music to make a statement. Let Freedom Reignresembles an R&B album that Kanye West would make if he could really hold a note; consistent, diverse and just good music.

Standout Songs: "Let Freedom Reign", "I’m A Star", "So Cool", "Number One", "So In Love"

Tracklisting:

1. Fairytales and Castles (Pt. 1)

2. I’m A Star

3. Number One

4. Fairytales and Castles (Pt. 2)

5. I Don’t Know Why, But I Do

6. Let Freedom Reign ft. Talib Kweli & Black Thought

7. Goodbye Game

8. So Cool

9. So in Love ft. Rick Ross

10. So In Love (Skit)

11. I’m Your life

12. I’m From New York

13. Unsaid

14. If Nobody Sang Along

15. I Know Nothing

- By Mekha