Truthfully Speaking [PA] - Truth Hurts > Reviews > A Truly Addictive Album?

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Great Voice, Some great Tracks .
Disadvantages:	A few weak/boring songs .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

***INTRO***

The name 'Truth Hurts' came from Dr Dre. Shari (AKA Truth Hurts) is from St Louis, and I would describe her as a relatively unknown urban vocalist. The album 'Truthfully Speaking' was released in 2002.

***APPEARANCE OF THE ALBUM***

As you can see from the picture above, the album cover is nothing out of the ordinary. The front cover features Truth Hurts from the front. The back cover features a close up of Truth Hurts face. Not very much imagination has gone into the covers.

***WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM?***

If you like urban/R&B music then it is possible you will enjoy this album. I expect that if you enjoy the music of Mary J Blige, Blu Cantrell and Tweet then you will probably like Truth Hurts.

***WHERE CAN I BUY THIS ALBUM***

From Amazon.co.uk: £6.97
From Play.com: £9.99
HMV: £10.99

***THE TRACKS***

1. Push Play
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This is not a bad intro. It features Dr Dre. Quite a lot of swearing in this short intro, which is why this album has the 'Parental Advisory' sticker on the front.

2. Addictive
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The intro quickly moves into this song, which is definately the most well-known song on the album. This song has a strong 'Indian' influence and it features Rakim. It certainly is an addictive song and it is something a little different.
'I-D' describes this song as:

"One of the greatest tracks you've ever heard".

I don't know about that, but it definately is a good track, and the strongest on the album.

3. Next To Me
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This is a slightly slower song but with a strong beat. This track is nothing special and I find it a little irritating. However it does show off Truth Hurts strong voice.

4. Jimmy
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Dr Dre was the producer of this song. I really like this track, it is quite catchy. It is about a man called 'Jimmy' who is in prison for 10 years. Again it has a strong beat to it.

5. Grown
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This is a faster track and is a feel good song. The song is a little boring after a while though.

6. This Feeling
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This is a slower song. I like the lyrics and Truth Hurts voice is very suited to the song.

7. Tired
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This is a brilliant song. It is upbeat and yet again Truth Hurts voice really makes the song. The lyrics are catchy.

8. I'm Not Really Lookin'
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I guess this song could be quite catchy, however I'm not overly keen on it. Probably one of the weakest songs on the album.

9. B.S
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This track is ok, definately not my favourite. It is nothing special and not very catchy.

10. Queen Of the Ghetto
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I'm not keen on this track. It features Kittie (AKA Cita) who is a bit annoying as she talks for ages through the song.

11. The Truth
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This song is definately more catchy than the previous two. The chorus is good and I like the lyrics. R Kelly is the producer of this track and he sings on the song. Their voices work well together on the track

12. Real
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Timberland is the producer of this song...which is obvious from the beat of the song. I quite like this track as it is catchy and the beat is good.

13. Hollywood
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This features Dr Dre. The beat is slightly unusual. I don't like this song much as it doesn't seem to flow very well...And I'm not keen on the overall sound of the track. The chorus is a bit irritating also.

14. Do Me
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This is a slow track. Its a nice track to relax to, and the lyrics and vocals are smooth.

15. Benefit of the Doubt
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The beat of this song is a little annoying, but the song is not too bad. Truth Hurts voice sounds great as it does on all the other tracks of this album. This song sounds a little like the type of song En Vogue would sing.

***THE GOOD POINTS***

- Good mix of slow and upbeat songs. It can be a little boring if an album just concentrates on slow songs or has too many upbeat songs. It is nice to have a mixture.

- Truth Hurts works well with Rakim, R Kelly, Dr Dre and Timberland.

- Addictive is a great song. It is catchy and addictive and is a 'feel good' song. I like the Indian influence.

- Truth Hurts has got a great voice which is very strong. She can make the weakest of songs sound good.

- Lots of tracks (15).

- Personally I think this album is quite original. To me it sounds slightly unique, and it is good to listen to someone who has strong vocals and sings effortlessly.

***THE BAD POINTS***

- There are a few weak links on this album, however the strong tracks seem to make up for this.