Avg Rating: 
4.2 ( 10 total votes )
Hip-hop has always been like a movie, full of stars and background actors, good guys and villains. There’s the smooth leading man who always gets the girl (Usher), the intimidating mob boss (50 Cent), and the aging boxer who can’t give up the spotlight (Jay-Z). And we can’t forget the gangster’s girlfriend. The woman who helps her man hide his stash from the feds, then finally decides she’s had enough of his cheating, throws a flower vase at his head, and leaves a heartbroken but stronger woman. For years Mary J. Blige played the “married … ...Read the full album review
Fans can also check out Keyshia Cole's previous albums: Keyshia Cole - Woman to Woman | Keyshia Cole - A Different Me
DJBooth Album Review
Hip-hop has always been like a movie, full of stars and background actors, good guys and villains. There’s the smooth leading man who always gets the girl (Usher), the intimidating mob boss (50 Cent), and the aging boxer who can’t give up the spotlight (Jay-Z). And we can’t forget the gangster’s girlfriend. The woman who helps her man hide his stash from the feds, then finally decides she’s had enough of his cheating, throws a flower vase at his head, and leaves a heartbroken but stronger woman.
For years Mary J. Blige played the “married to the mob” part perfectly, watch her with Method Man in You’re All I Need, but Ms. Mary’s getting older. Hip-hop’s been looking for a younger woman to fill the role for years. The search is finally over, Keyshia Cole is here. The small but powerful singer’s ready for the spotlight with her new release Just Like You, a cinematic album filled with stories of love-gone-wrong. Guys want her because she’s sexy but could still throw down in a fight, while women love her because she gives a voice to their lives. Sure Beyonce’s great, but can she relate to your problems? Not unless your problems include the chauffeur leaving your Gucci bag in the limo. That’s exactly why we need Keyshia Cole.
Last Night typifies Cole’s R&B abilities so perfectly it deserves its own paragraph. It’s musical justice that the track is on Just Like You, Cole deserves all the credit for its success. She owned that song, Diddy was just paying rent, and now it’s finally on the right album. Cole shows her range by keeping her voice smooth in the beginning, but by the end it’s breaking in all the right places for maximum emotional impact. It’s everything an R&B/pop song should be. Did I mention Diddy got completely upstaged on his own song? Just thought it was worth repeating.
Cole is at her best during mid-tempo jams like Last Night, and the album has plenty to choose from. Let It Go is the lead single, an anthem extolling women to kick their no-good man to the curb. Producer Missy Elliot drops plenty of reminders that the beat’s a retouched version of Biggie’s classic joint Juicy, and Lil Kim completes the Ladies’ Night vibe with a old-school verse. There’s also a Let It Go Remix (even Stevie Wonder saw that coming) that gives the men a chance at the mic. Young Dro and T.I. put in verses but it’s not their best work, just another inferior remix. Either way Cole’s put together a certified hit that will have ladies everywhere using a shampoo bottle as a mic in the shower.
Keyshia Cole is the pride of Oakland and she obviously hasn’t forgotten her roots. She recruited Oaktown’s founding father Too Short for Didn’t I Tell You, an unapologetic banger courtesy of some riding production from The Runners. If the clubs are going to explode to any track on Just Like You it’s this one. Similarly, R&B production mainstay Darkchild constructs a soaring beat that would have fit Mary J. Blige perfectly on Shoulda Let You Go, but this is Keyshia’s moment and she takes it. Plus she gives newcomer and Bay Area native Amina a chance at some major exposure, now that’s reppin’ your hometown.
Just Like You also provides a number of slow ballads to comfort anyone currently plowing through a gallon of ice cream to get over a bad breakup. Losing You mixes electronic percussion with a soft piano line perfect for Keyshia to explain just how a good relationship falls apart. It also proves she knows how to get down without beating people over the head with the power of her voice. That’s the mark of an experienced singer, a category Losing You partner Anthony Hamilton also belongs in. Even more revealing is the title song Just Like You. The track’s more declaration than song, showing Cole has fully embraced her status as a role model for women. She’s talking to her fans when she sings, “I wanna be the one/who you can depend on.” After more than an hour of listening Keyshia overcome a broken heart I was desperate for a happy song, just one “I’m in love and it’s great” song, but what I want doesn’t really matter. If I had a daughter I’d want her listening to Just Like You, and I don’t know if I can pay Keyshia Cole a better compliment than that.
Listen to More: Keyshia Cole Written by Nathan S.
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Member Reviews and Ratings
Average Member Rating: Total Ratings: 10
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 2 |
Rating:
This CD is worth buying. A lot of good tracks.
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| Posted on Oct 02, 2007 |
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DJ Booth Member |
That song is tight i love it but yeah gtg aiight peace out yall....
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| Posted on Oct 17, 2007 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 97 |
Rating:
honestly, i love keyshia cole, but i havent listened to any track past #7 since the first time i heard the cd. but its crazy how the other couple songs fill in the void.
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| Posted on Oct 23, 2007 |
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DJ Booth Member |
Rating:
I'm in love w/ this cd, not to mention she is singing about a lot of things I can relate to in my life right now...
And I hate to compare to her to Mary, however, this album kinda has a Mary style to it....But her first albut, (which I still listen to, often), is very original.... |
| Posted on Oct 24, 2007 |
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DJ Booth Member |
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This is definitely a solid effort by Keyshia Cole.
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| Posted on Nov 05, 2007 |
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DJ Booth Member |
You just don't know what you do for me. You always help me when i'm down. Just listening to your songs just put a smile on my face.
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| Posted on Nov 16, 2007 |
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DJ Booth Member |
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Hands down, she takes my two ultimate favorite beats.. Song cry - JayZ turned it into YOU"VE CHANGED and her semi NEW track Juicy - B.i.G beat. And for a female to flip the world nd tell it like it is, she does it so beautifully! Heaven sent, fallin out, just like you, ahhh just numerous tracks to get into.
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| Posted on Dec 13, 2007 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 195 |
Rating:
i LUV DiSS CD!!MAyBE JEEzY NOT ON HERE CUHz DURR NOT GOiNG OUt NO MORE
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| Posted on Feb 14, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
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omg!!!!!!!!!!!!! this cd helps you get over a broken heart, even if your heart has been broken more than once. she is a big insperation to me, thanx keyshia girl. both of cds was bangen lets see what the 3rd one gone be like
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| Posted on Feb 28, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
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Buy it its off the change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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| Posted on May 07, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
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this song help me get over my female problems and nigga.but i see either 1 aint shyt
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| Posted on Jun 03, 2008 |
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| Posted on May 29, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
that iz wat upp
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| Posted on Apr 20, 2011 |
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