Search - Nivea :: Nivea

Excellent Debut

firefairyangel | Canada | 12/11/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nivea Hamilton debuted at a time when there was an onslaught of female singers, thus her debut went virtually unnoticed except for her hit single "Don't Mess With My Man". Nivea's self-titled debut took a more hip-hop flavoured approach then many other singers. Nivea packs in quite a few guest aritsts, including Lil Wayne, Nick Cannon and a couple of members of Jagged Edge. True, Nivea does not have the most powerful voice per se, but she and her producers definitely know how to work with her abilities. Unlike most artists who attempt it, the hip-hop style actually works for Nivea though I would not have minded if there were fewer guest artists on this. It's not that they sound bad, there are just a few too many of them.



Nivea starts things off with "Still In Love", a catchy song that shows off Nivea's sweet vocals. The song tells how Nivea is still in love with someone despite any problems they have. It's not particularly original or creative in any way however it gives us a good introduction to Nivea's vocal style. "Ya Ya Ya" features Lil Wayne and a large amount of hip-hop slang. However, unlike with other artists, Nivea pulls it off well making it sound completely natural. It's quite hard to follow what this is supposed to be about but it is a good song nonetheless. Lil Wayne's rap is nothing too special but is a nice addition to the song, as it sounds quite good with Nivea's vocals. The first single, "Don't Mess With My Man", with Brian and Brandon Casey is up next. The song talks about people who try to flirt with Nivea and the Casey brothers' boyfriend and girlfriends respectively and how the three warn them to stay away. The bridge in particular sounds great. ("Girl I'm warning you, if you want my man...").



"The One For Me" is a sweet, slow song about meeting someone who you know immediately is "the one". Nivea sounds extremely sweet in this song and her vocals fit exceptionally with the song. The chorus sounds particularly great to me (vocally) though I am not sure why. This was the first song on the album that Nivea co-wrote and it features an unaccredited male rapper. After that comes my favourite song from this album, "Laundromat" written by and featuring R. Kelly. The two singers perform this as if they were a couple arguing, an effect which sometimes ruins songs. Luckily, it works exceptionally well. Nivea sounds genuinely hurt/angry and her vocals sound great with R Kelly's. "You Don't Even Know" is a more upbeat track has awesome vocals and production even though the lyrics are not the greatest. Nick Cannon's rap is pretty average but isn't enough to really hinder the song. Better yet is Nivea's short rap, which outshines Nick and actually suits her pretty well, though I can't see a full album of it actually sounding good.



"Run Away" is one of my favourites, especially because of Nivea's vocals. The rapper in this one, Pusha T of Clipse, is one of the better guest stars though it is not really him I'm listening to on this song. This song was produced by the Neptunes, and they actually manage to make Nivea sound amazing. Lyrically, it is quite good as well and the chorus in particular is great. ("Said I wanna be with you, why'd you have to go and run away?"). Also, Nivea's verse immediately following the rap sounds incredible. "Just In Case", on the other hand, is decent but not one of the best songs. It talks about Nivea giving a guy her number in case he decides to cheat on his girl later. Despite the poor message, Nivea still manages to make this sound alluring and so it is not nearly as bad as it could have been. "No Doubt" is one of my two least favourite songs on here. Nivea's vocals are on point, and the song is quite sweet and the lyrics are not terrible. However, the chorus is far too repetitive which takes away from the overall quality. "Never Had A Girl Like Me" is another upbeat song, which is incredibly catchy. The bidge in particular sounds great. ("You know you would if you could..."). It is not necessarily memorable, but it is definitely worth a listen.



"Have Mercy" is one of the few slow songs, and it talks about how Nivea asks her man to have mercy on her because she cheated on him. The vocals are beautiful and sweet yet the song is a little too repetitive. Nonetheless, it is far from an awful song and it showcases a softer, more vulnerable side to Nivea. After this comes my least favourite song, "Don't Mess With The Radio". I do not really understand how this was ever released as a single or even how it made the album, as it is repetitive and extremely hard to follow. "25 Reasons" is much better. In it, Nivea goes through a list of twenty-five reasons why she loves her man. It takes a little while to grow on you, but once it does, it will seem incredibly beautiful. Lastly, there is an unnecessary, mediocre remix of "Don't Mess With My Man" which could have been replaced with something more original.



Overall Mark: 4/5



Though the album seems to (as a whole) lose steam towards the end, it is definitely worth a listen. Nivea has a great voice and it is too bad she did not get the exposure that she should have. I wish some of the songs from the re-released version of this album (though I've never heard them) could have been on the original. Nivea is supposed to be releasing a sophomore album in 2005, and if it is anything like this one, it should be exceptional. Nivea needs to lay off the guest stars a little, and let her own talents shine through more often. Otherwise, this is excellent."

Good debut album....

Jamaal A. Bivens | Jacksonville, Florida | 10/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"We all know the face, and we all know the voice from Mystikal's hit song "Danger!" We were waiting on this album forever and by the time it hit stores, I had forgotten about Miss Nivea. But after picking it up recently, I realized the mistake I made in not picking it up earlier.



Nivea has one of those good down-south country voices that you know had to be honed to perfection. She doesn't have to hit you with all the Mariah Carey-esque notes or the Beyonce' runs and riffs, but she definitely shows her range on this overlooked album.



Even on the faster joints does she really show her vocal ability. Check out the song "Ya Ya Ya", where she opens with an "oooh" that is just so tight in itself. Another reviewer likened it to a flute, and that's the perfect description for it. Also, she kills it in the fast-paced song, with a nice cameo rap from then-boyfriend Lil' Wayne (it's been rumored that they broke up....¿Verdadero o falso?). "Run Away" shows off Nivea's vocal versatility like no other song, where the harmonies and the chorus are quite sick. She even open with part of the chorus that sound tight. Pusha-T from The Clipse actually spits a decent verse in this song, surprisingly. Of course, the club-banger and single "Don't Mess With My Man" really put her in the limelight and should have put her album in the stratosphere. This song is catchy, and had everyone singing it all over the nation. The hook itself is catchy, and Nivea really sounds as if she really went through the whole situation. There is a lot of feeling in this song, which you don't really get to hear in faster songs.



Of course, every soloist should have some ballads on their album, and Nivea does not disappoint in the least. Check out the song "25 Reasons" for some sustenance. Nivea really delivers on this song, which is my favorite on the album. This song sounds like it took one studio session to do, and she really belts out the words in this song toward the end. "I had to catch my breath for a minute...so many emotions coming out in this song, oh. Have you ever loved somebody? Ooh, have you ever loved somebody? Come on ladies help me sang..." That whole part had me really going. Nivea is not playing on this song. lol. "Laundromat" is another good slow number, the "official" second single (from this "re-released album), that is nicely written, minus all the expletives (this album didn't come with a parental advisory warning, surprisingly). Using a laundromat as a metaphor for breaking up with someone is tight, and I can recall hearing plenty of ladies saying "I'm headed to the laundromat" after this song caught heat. Also worth checking out is "Have Mercy", where Nivea is asking for forgiveness in being the bad girl in the relationship. She really sings on this song and the beat is tight as well.



A couple of songs didn't do it for me at all. First, "You Don't Even Know" didn't flow right, and then on top of that had a less than inspiring appearance from Nick Cannon, someone who I don't even consider a great lyricist (stick to acting, little boy). Second, "Don't Mess With the Radio" should never have been released as a single, because it's not catchy nor does it sound interesting, even after listening to it like eight times. Finally, the "Don't Mess With My Man" remix wasn't even really a remix, and it was definitely filler. It should have been left off for more of Nivea's songs from her unreleased album, like "Cat's Got Your Tongue", "Problems", or the tight song "Check Your Man" featuring Mystikal.



All in all, Nivea really didn't disappoint with this album. It's a shame that this album didn't get the airplay it needed, but that was by fault of Jive, who focuses more on teeny-bopper pop music from whitebread artists. Jive took too long to put this alubm out, and still released singles way after the older ones had been forgotten. Hopefully, with her upcoming second album, Nivea can get into the spotlight again this-go-round."

This was tight

Lil Princess | Memphis 10 | 12/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this c.d is the fye it is slick bumpin if you aint got it go get it holla back"