Brandy’s B7: 5 Year Anniversary Album Retrospective
This year marks the five year anniversary of American R&B singer-songwriter and actress Brandy’s seventh album, B7. Released on July 31st, the album was the seventh offering by the Mississippi native as well as her first album in eight years, since 2012’s Two Eleven. Writer Britney Spanos, in her 2020 article for Rolling Stone, “With Her First Album in 8 Years, Brandy Finally Feels Free”, writes, “… she was soon plagued with label troubles that led to an eight year hiatus following 2012’s Two Eleven. Chameleon Entertainment, her former label, claimed she breached her contract by releasing music without their permission, while she countersued over unpaid production costs.” This prompted the 46 year old Grammy winner to establish her own imprint Brand Nu and take full creative control for the first time in her career.
A 90s Icon Turned R&B Blueprint
Brandy is known for being the quintessential teen icon of the 90’s for Black women. From her trademark braids, bubbly portrayal of her best known acting role as the eponymous character in the UPN classic Moesha and Disney classic Cinderella, to her chart topping hits “I Wanna Be Down”, “Baby,” and the Grammy winning duet with fellow R&B Icon Monica, “The Boy Is Mine”. Nearly three decades into her career, Brandy has become a R&B icon in her own right, a template for many of the frontrunners of alternative R&B. Best known for her cutting edge vocal layering, she has become referred to as the “Vocal Bible”. According to a 2022 article for Traklife, “And it’s her unique, velvety tone and sophisticated vocal techniques that earned her the title of “The Vocal Bible” and established her as a blueprint for the many singers following in her footsteps.” These artists include Solange, Frank Ocean, Jhene Aiko, Daniel Ceasar, and Ariana Grande.
B7’s Sound and Substance
Her seventh album B7 showcased her trademark vocal and musical prowess. At 15 tracks, the project saw Brandy reuniting with longtime collaborator the late LaShawn Daniels while partnering with newcomer Daryl “DJ” Camper. Lyrically, the singer tackles topics such as love and heartbreak with album cuts “Rather Be” and “Say Something” as well as mental health and self healing in songs such as “Borderline”, “Unconditional Oceans”, “Lucid Dreams”, and album closer “Bye BiPolar”.
Mental Health Through Music
In a 2020 interview with The Grio, Brandy spoke about her hope in using her music to create awareness about mental health. “I’ve dealt with depression the most severe … like severe depression” she said, “I’ve dealt with trauma. I’ve dealt with PTSD. I’ve gone through a lot and I had to overcome a lot, but I had to overcome everything that I’ve overcome by doing the work… A lot of the songs on the album, I was talking about the times where I wasn’t my best self. And I think when people can hear me say that, they can get help.”
Still Relevant, Still Healing
In a post-COVID world, mental health has become increasingly important. Music is just one of the many vehicles for both healing and awareness. Brandy had always been transparent about what she was going through and that is what makes both B7 and her more relevant than ever five years later.
