Exclusive - The Forever Edition

Vibe - "[O]n 'Take U Down,' The Underdogs' steamy Isley Brothers homage, Brown excels as streetwise lothario..." Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Brown cruises through teen-romance ballads and jumping dance tracks....Brown's got a stronger grip on his Stevie Wonder croon..." Entertainment Weekly - "Brown is most charming when he's playing up his youth: singing of MySpace romance, meeting his girl's 'pops,' and such." Rolling Stone - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007". Rolling Stone (p.194) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Brown cruises through teen-romance ballads and jumping dance tracks....Brown's got a stronger grip on his Stevie Wonder croon..." Rolling Stone (p.114) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007" Entertainment Weekly (p.105) - "Brown is most charming when he's playing up his youth: singing of MySpace romance, meeting his girl's 'pops,' and such." Vibe (p.91) - "[O]n 'Take U Down,' The Underdogs' steamy Isley Brothers homage, Brown excels as streetwise lothario..."

With its muscle-flexing attitude, thumping beats, and guest spot from T Pain, "Kiss Kiss," the club single on Chris Brown's EXCLUSIVE, announces that the teenaged singer is growing up fast. He's graduating from the province of cutesy `tween pop to big league urban contemporary, joining the ranks of Usher and R. Kelley with his sexy, slinky jams. Part of EXCLUSIVE's grown-up sound comes from top-shelf production, courtesy of Scott Storch, the Underdogs, and Will i. Am, and its roster of guests, which includes Game, Big Boi, and Kanye West. But it's Brown's command of breezy, mid-tempo ballads ("With You"), head-nodding, slow-rolling grooves ("Down"), and hands-in-the-air bangers ("Wall to Wall") that makes EXCLUSIVE a first-rate R&B ride.|

元祖〈キング・オブ・ポップ〉の“Thriller”にオマージュを捧げたようなプロモ・クリップもカッコ良かったショーン・ギャレット作の“Wall To Wall”や、T・ペインと合体した全米No.1曲“Kiss Kiss”などで期待を高めてくれたところで、デビュー作から2年弱ぶりとなる待望のセカンド・アルバムが到着!　前作からの制作陣に加え、カニエやウィル・アイ・アム、ゲームなど今回も強力メンツを多数従えてエナジーは満タンだ。よりダンス映えするトラックに重点を置いている一方で、スターゲイト&ジョンタ・オースティンによる“With You”で見せるスウィート&イノセントな表情も秒殺モノ。気負いのない伸びやかなヴォーカル・パフォーマンスからも自信の程は窺えるし、またも話題を〈独占〉しうる大作となった。
bounce (C)佐藤 ともえ