Monica - The Makings of Me

Few can coo a love song as convincingly as Monica, but The Makings of Me confirms what many have suspected since the ATL-based firebrand lit up the charts with Brandy in 1998: it's when she's digging through the wreckage of a busted-up relationship that she dishes up her best work. Makings, luckily, is littered with liars, cheats, and assorted degenerates--when Monica's not wagging her finger in the face of a "Sideline Ho" ("Ain't you tired of spending all the holidays alone?" she wants to know), she's dismissing the fiancé who dissed her with a brisk, silk-voiced "Hell No." Appealing brassiness aside, Makings benefits from excellent production (Missy Elliot slinks up "Gotta Move On" with Far East flavor and lets flecks of Curtis Mayfield fly on "A Dozen Roses") and a handful of hip-hop luminaries. While the Twista-boasting "Hell No" gives off heat courtesy of the sheer speed of its rap exchange, it's Dem Franchize Boys who rule this particular guest list: The Jermaine Dupri-produced "Everytime Tha Beat Drop" doesn't play--it demands a dance floor. Instantly. Every time. --Tammy La Gorce Amazon.com

good album except for one track

i love the album monica is my second favorite artist beside brandy is my first favorite any ways the album is real nice my favorite songs on here is [a dozen roses you remind me]and [getaway] those are the best tracks on the album everytime tha beat drop was so disappointing for me because it was not her style like she was changing but i did not like the song at all but other then that the album is real good . July 20, 2008

3 1/2 stars....with a dozen roses

This is Monica's laziest album to date because its duration is just 38.3 minutes, her vocals are average at best, and the lyrics aren't profound enough for me. "The Makings of Me" is still a good album, though. Of the ten tracks, eight of them received 3 ½ stars from me. "Everytime the Beat Drops" was the first single released to radio. Jermaine Dupri produced this song, and, while I enjoy and value most of his work, I was left disappointed with this song for I could never get into it. The beat is alright, though. Monica Arnold never has had an all-out bad album, but some of her albums are good and some are very good. Ironically, this album falls in between good and very good.

This album has a very laid-back feel; most of the songs are ballads or mid-tempo. "Getaway" and "A Dozen Roses" are the albums best moments by far, though. When I first took a listen to "A Dozen Roses", I was very impressed because the song had creative lyrics, excellent use of a sample (it samples Curtis Mayfield's song called "The Makings of You", a song that has been redone tons of times), and a catchy beat. When I heard this song, I knew I had to hear the rest of the album. "Sideline H*" is very real lyrically. There are more "sideline h*s than we can shake a stick at. I admire Monica for calling them out because women who continue to sleep with men when they know they have someone else is extremely trifling; these women need to rewind this until they understand the point that Monica is making. The production on "Why Her" definitely sounds like it could be on Mariah Carey's album, "E=MC2." Really, it sounds a lot like a song on that album called "Bye Bye." Further, Monica likes to rap suddenly. It is cute sometimes, but sometimes her "raps" seem out of place and very unnecessary; she's so much more effective when singing. Also, Missy Elliot need not look at Monica's albums as an opportunity to say whatever she feels at the moment. It's such an irritant.

Monica did a nice job this time around with "The Makings of Me." Music listeners, particularly R&B fans should enjoy this album if they love Monica and/or laid back sounds.

Mikeisha's Top 5

1. "A Dozen Roses"
2. "Getaway"
3. "Sideline H*"
4. "My Everything"
5. "Gotta Move On"
May 26, 2008

The Makings of an Excellent Album

Monica is one of those artists who, despite having already proved longevity through a slew of solid albums, continue to do poorly in terms of sales. As her lowest selling album to date, one would assume that the issues had much to do with the quality of the album. And one would then be horribly mistaken. It seems this album was judged based on everything BUT the music. The album cover was largely panned because, apparently, a woman of Monica's age is not allowed to be partially nude, despite the fact that it was tastefully done. Besides, several artists the same age, if not older than Monica have come out with covers that were much worse. In addition, the album suffered from what most considered a poorly chosen lead single, as it capitalized on the latest trend. Apparently, playing on a successful style of music at the time of one's album release is a negative thing. If that's the case, artists have been doing it wrong for years. However, should anyone actually listen to the album itself, it is not such a huge departure from Monica's usual style, and her material as always works to her advantage.

Despite Monica herself having said that lead single "Everytime Tha Beat Drop" was intended to be a purely fun song, people continue to take the track far too seriously. This song pandered to the faltering "snap music" (whatever that is) trend, causing many to assume Monica was trying to appeal to a younger audience. Younger being relative, I would assume, since Monica herself is only twenty-six. It is baffling why this song did not do better. It's a catchy track, and Monica's vocals are strong and clear enough not to be overcome by the beat. Listening to the rest of the album, it is clear that this song did not represent the style, so all the criticism of "selling out" was really unnecessary. "A Dozen Roses" is more in line with what people would expect from Monica, yet it too inexplicably failed to garner much success. Monica delivers a wonderfully controlled yet powerful vocal performance on this track about all the good things her lover reminds her of. Throw in a cleverly interpolated Curtis Mayfield sample, and this truly stands out as one of the strongest album tracks.

"Sideline Ho" further cements the status of this album as horribly misunderstood. In this case, Monica was panned for accepting her man cheating on her. In reality, this song was inspired by a real-life experience where the woman Monica's boyfriend was cheating with got too comfortable. Thus, Monica is letting her know that despite all his attention, she is still not his main interest. This track is definitely another highlight, showing Monica at some of her most personal, and with all her vocal and lyrical strength. And the highlights just keep on coming with the next two tracks. First is the touching "Why Her?", written by Jermaine Durpi at the height of his fame after writing a major hit for Mariah. This track could easily stand among Monica's best ballads. Lyrically, this is one of the best songs this album has to offer, which combines with the controlled yet emotive vocal delivery to make a true classic. "Hell No" has Monica trading verses with fast-paced rapper Twista, and she holds her own quite well. It's clear that Monica is no rapper, but this Bryan-Michael Cox produced track has anthem written all over it, without the usual annoyance factor that comes attached to that label. The passionate vocals on the verses really sell this one.

"Doin' Me Right" is a fan favourite, although I would say there are better tracks available here. As with many Missy Elliott productions, it would be better if it she had left out her own part toward the beginning. It serves no real purpose, and ends up being more annoying than anything else. This track has Monica extolling the virtues of her man, and although it is a very sweet song, it is not particularly memorable in light of several of the previous tracks. Nonetheless, it maintains its position as a strong album track. "Raw" is another fan favourite, although personally I found it much more of a grower. The production during Swizz Beatz's rap is almost too busy, making it quite distracting, although it clears up nicely during Monica's parts. Like the song before, it's a solid album track but not particularly memorable. As a whole, it doesn't particularly go anywhere. Monica has done much better, both on this album and on previous efforts. "My Everything" brings us back closer to the realm of the better material this album has to offer. Monica provides a beautiful, controlled yet very meaningful performance that works to her advantage. It allows for the sweetness of the lyrics to speak for themselves. The bridge sounds especially sweet, both lyrically and production-wise. The only possible issue is that some may think the song drags on a little too long.

"Gotta Move On" has Oriental-sounding production, which unfortunately contains the standard Missy Elliott yells, albeit muffled, of "Holla, new Monica". As if we didn't have enough of that on the last album. Monica raps a little in this one, which brings something relatively new to the track. It doesn't hinder it, but it doesn't especially help either. The sung verses showcase Monica at her best, with simple vocals over quite a basic arrangement. It gives Monica room to shine, without requiring her to overdo it in attempt to match an overpowering beat. Finally, this short album concludes with the introspective "Getaway". This track is an outstanding way to close off the album, where its just Monica and a piano singing about the changes in the industry. Getaway particularly sounds convincing, given Monica's past of having to deal with personal issues in the spotlight. That Monica did not write this track is utterly irrelevant. It is the entirely the subdued yet passionate vocal delivery combined with the simplistic backing which sell the track. This is certainly Monica at her most personal, and sonically at her best.

Overall Mark: 4/5

This album appears to be one that was panned through no fault of its own. True, the lead single was not representative, but then it was never intended to be. The cover could, arguably, have been more modest, but CDs are bought primarily for the music. The art is just extra. Many fans were also, understandably, dissatisfied with the length (or lack thereof) of this album. Aside from a couple of the more mediocre offerings, the song quality here certainly makes up for at least part of the issue. It is too bad that artists are falling into a trend of offering shorter and shorter albums, yet wondering why the fans are not willing to pay full price for them. Nonetheless, in spite of, or perhaps because of its length, The Makings of Me provides an excellent introspective album. Although it does not quite match Monica's earlier classics, it is certainly on par to have similar longevity. April 26, 2008

Great cd!

Monica is so talented and this album shows. You can play the whole cd w/o skipping any songs because all of the songs are good. Please purchase this if you want a great cd. Support the extremely talented Monica. November 28, 2007

3-1/2 stars -- It's really not that bad, people

I absolutely adored Monica's work throughout her first and second albums. What really made her appeal to me was that she was so young but she was still making such great music. But then she took on an all thugged-out persona for her third U.S. album After the Storm, and I hated that album not just because of that, but because the subject matter was made too ghetto. Thankfully, it's easier to stand on The Makings of Me.

I don't know what's going on on the album cover either, but the reason why I think this album has garnered so many negative reviews is because people are comparing it to her first two albums. Now, I'll admit that this is no Miss Thang, and it DEFINITELY isn't as stellar as The Boy Is Mine (also, Monica isn't the only parent to curse on her albums, people), but there are still decent enough moments. "Why Her" and "My Everything" rank among the best tracks, but my favorite would have to be the final track, "Getaway", which actually does remind me of the days when she first came out.

There are still a few duds, however. "Sideline H*" is too ghetto for its own good, and the Swizz Beatz-assisted "Raw" has too much going on, especially before each chorus. Also, there are a number of lyrical faux pas. While "A Dozen Roses" is good, the second verse has Monica talking about the 25th day of Christmas. And while "Everytime Tha Beat Drop" (an obvious single due to its being censored as well as "Y'all know what this is!") has Dem Franchize Boyz written all over it, it really isn't horrible; the only odd thing is that Monica keeps bringing up the bankhead bounce. (Hey, Mo, 1996 called.)

But there are more pros on here than cons, one of which is that Monica can still sing (although she really needs to stop trying to rap). I really liked her better when she wasn't a thug (especially since "Street Symphony" said she didn't want to BE with thugs), but it looks like that what the makings of her constitute now, so we'll have to live with it.

Anthony Rupert September 12, 2007

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