Keyshia Cole

Just Like You

Keyshia Cole: Singsong melodies and anguished lyrics mark Just Like You.
Keyshia Cole: Singsong melodies and anguished lyrics mark Just Like You.

The heartbreak of a fractured romance that brought such intense emotion to Keyshia Cole's 2005 debut, The Way It Is, remains much in evidence on her follow-up. "No one knew all the pain I went through," the Oakland-bred, Atlanta-based soul singer confesses over a lush cushion of strings on the ballad "I Remember." Nearly every other one of her anguished words is broken into syllable-splitting curlicues. "I'm so confused," she admits on the ballad "Losing You," a duet with neo-soul man Anthony Hamilton, who offers solace in a gritty, gospel-quartet tenor. Throughout Just Like You, Cole comes across as more confident, without sacrificing the honesty that has made her the decade's most refreshing female R&B voice. Cole penned all 14 songs on the disc, and her melodies all have a simple, singsong quality. But her 14 collaborating producers deliver an array of widely contrasting textures and beats, from Scott Storch's Barry White/Gene Page-like arrangement of "Give Me More" to the Runners' wildly syncopated percussion on "Didn't I Tell You," featuring Too $hort. Other guest rappers include Diddy, T.I., Lil' Kim and Missy Elliott, whose "Like, damn that's hot!" interjections on dance-friendly hit "Let It Go" pretty much sum up Just Like You.

 
My Voice Nation Help
0 comments
Sort: Newest | Oldest
 

Concert Calendar

  • May
  • Fri
    24
  • Sat
    25
  • Sun
    26
  • Mon
    27
  • Tue
    28
  • Wed
    29
  • Thu
    30
Houston Event Tickets
©2013 Houston Press, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Houston

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city