"I can escape inside music no matter what else is going on..." Brooke Valentine
The time has come – the music world has birthed a true nightingale whose artistry distinguishes her from the industry's current herd of wannabe R&B/pop phenoms. This chanteuse doesn't adhere to conformity and defines her music freely. The artist is Brooke Valentine.
A native of Houston, Texas, Valentine ups the ante for creative expression with her Subliminal Entertainment/Virgin Records debut disc CHAIN LETTER. A melodic pilgrimage through the perils and joys of a young female life, CHAIN LETTER is refreshingly skimpy on gimmicks and ample on innovation. Valentine's diverse musical tastes create the album's universal pulse by serving a delectable stir-fry of R&B, pop, alternative and rock – offering something for all music lovers. Only 19 years of age, she explores the kaleidoscope of human emotions – the good, bad and sometimes downright ugly. "When you're listening to my album, I want you to know that things happen and eventually you get over it,” she declares. “CHAIN LETTER takes you on a ride as you go through the different phases in your life."
The journey begins with the ‘rhythm & crunk’ party-starter "Girlfight," produced by self-described ‘King of Crunk’ Lil' Jon and featuring Outkast's Big Boi, which cleverly brews tension between two groups of women that finally festers into an all-out street brawl. On the hypnotic ladies anthem "Taste of Dis," Valentine delivers the kinetic energy and seduction that listeners will immediately grasp. Amid syncopated beats she encourages women to celebrate their sex appeal and tap into their ‘inner diva.’ Valentine also invites us inside her more satirical persona with the cleverly macabre ode "I Want U Dead," which shares her morbid thoughts of revenge on an ex-beau, from poking holes in his condoms to running his car in a ditch – no punishment is too great to avenge heartbreak. The hip call-and-response track "Blah, Blah, Blah," featuring the late, great Dirt McGirt (aka Ol’ Dirty Bastard), is about a woman who feels smothered by her man and wants her freedom without giving up her relationship. On the flip side, Valentine expresses a woman's vulnerability on the melancholy "Tell Me Why Don't You Love Me," about a woman's insecurity in a challenging relationship, while her feathery vocals on the beautifully harmonic "Cover Girl," addresses a woman's need to always be her man's sole object of desire.
Protection - we do a lot of it these days. Sun cream for our skin, sunglasses for our eyes, condoms for you know where - but do you remember to protect your hearing?
Click to find all the information you need to look after your hearing now so you can enjoy music for years to come
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