Single Review: Chris Brown – ‘New Flame’ (Feat. Usher and Rick Ross)
2 min read
Chris Brown is almost as well known for being a dancer and an actor than for being a singer. This has been considerably noticeable in the last few years, with a lack of new music from the singer and films instead (such as the recent Battle of The Year). However Chris Brown has finally released a new single, New Flame, and fans eagerly hope that this means an end to the mystery surrounding the release date of his upcoming album X.
New Flame has a mid-tempo r&b groove. Brown starts the track off, and has far too many unnecessary vocal runs and whatnot to fill in the long breaks between lyrics. The lyrics themselves aren’t anything spectacular, but neither are they offensive or degrading; it’s just a simple song about finding love in a club. The retro synth beat melody starts out as cool and original, but by the end of the song is grating on listener’s ears. The addition of Usher to the track was perhaps not a great idea for Brown, because it demonstrates just how much better Usher’s vocals are to his own. The second chorus features Brown, Usher AND backing vocalists singing, making this chorus a bit of a mess as all the vocalists try to outdo each other. Rick Ross’ verse is a nice change of pace, but the lyrics are really just a lot of nonsense.
You could be forgiven for thinking that New Flame was Usher’s track rather than Brown’s. With this new single Chris Brown is returning to his r&b urban roots, rather than continuing with the dance/electronic detour we saw him take with his last two albums. However, Brown will have to step up his game if he wants to make it back to the top of the r&b scene.
