Movie soundtracks are my thing. I’ve mentioned before (more than once) that I’m the girl who goes out and finds out what song was playing in That Crucial Scene, so I can add it to my playlist.
Acting, singing, writing- it’s all storytelling, and storytelling is part of what I’m about.
A few months back, I watched Think Like A Man. John Legend, Marcus Canty, and even Earth, Wind and Fire were on the soundtrack for that one, but the one who’s music has stayed with me (as much as I love ‘Tonight (Best You Ever Had)) is Brandon Hines.
 |
| source |
His song ‘Fire’ was a reminder of how smooth RnB can really be. The sound is mellow and sensual, and Brandon assures us that he’s “got that high grade, top shelf kind of love”. I was sold.
In Search Of is his free-to-download album, and its 8 songs are a mix of uptempo beats, smart lyrics (a throwback to the days when men used to put a little effort into convincing a woman to give in to their advances), and a good voice.
I really like the samba influences on ‘Bye Bye Bye’- it reminds me a little of Justin Timberlake’s Nothin’ Else.
‘Bad Girl’ and ‘Find You’ are songs about the lengths he is prepared to go to get a girl’s attention- and keep it.
‘Long Way Home’ is the classic “let me back into your heart, I know I was wrong” tune that every popular RnB artist has written and performed over and over again. This also makes it sound like at the end of the 4 minutes everything will be just fine. Persuasive words and the right tone of voice seem to hide (and forgive) a multitude of sins in the music world.
I think my favourite song on In Search Of is ‘Steady’. It’s something along the lines of Miguel’s ‘Adorn’ (more accurately, ‘Vixen’), or for a more dance-ready version, Usher’s ‘OMG’.
In the song, Brandon is so sure that the plans he has are exactly what the woman he wrote it for had in mind.
For a cynic, (‘romance’, ‘charm’, ‘seduction’, and other associated words are not really part of my vocabulary), I am quite impressed with Brandon Hines’s “this is how much I can love you” songs. Download the album, and see for yourself if he is part of the revival that RnB has- in my opinion- been in need of for some time.
Look out for his latest single, ‘Yes You Are’.
Nkhensani Manabe 