A first look at Chris Brown’s new album, ‘Breezy’

Chris Brown is famous for dropping bulk albums with consistent quality. This man has dropped 10 albums, and it is safe to say that his newest one, ‘Breezy,’ does not miss.

Unlike his previous L.P.s, where he dived in with intros that sounded like a skit and prepared you for “what’s to come,” – the Breezy record bounces off with ‘Till the Wheels Fall Off,’ a solid track that gives the listener no space to breathe and puts you in a good mood instantly.

Compared to his old records, Breezy is not lengthy, and mind you, Chris Brown’s new album Breezy consists of 24 solid songs.

The background story of how Chris Brown’s Album ‘Breezy’ was made

According to Chris Brown, Breezy is his alter ego and matured version of the younger “With You” singer. Originally, the American singer had about 250 songs recorded for this L.P.

Before Brown announced the upcoming album in 2021, he did a lot of slimming down. However, it was not until June 7 that Brown released the album’s tracklist.

Four months ago, he posted via Instagram that he was about to drop a pure R&B record that depicts a unique kind of love clustered with heartbreak.

This complicated feeling was best represented on the track “Surviving the Night,” a track that RoccStar executively produced.

On the track, Chris Brown sings about how he intends to leave his toxic, overbearing, and clingy lover after he has “survived the night.”

When asked why he’s not been doing many interviews before his album release, he said he did not want to bore his audience with his routine or activities. He maintained that music is the major “food” he wants to keep feeding his fanbase.

Recently, there has been a discussion about who’s better between Micheal Jackson and Chris Brown. and many influencers have cast their “public opinion” in favor of Chris. However, when asked if he could fill the shoes of the King of Pop, Chris humbly declined.

In his words, Brown said, “M.J. is like Jesus to me. I can never be in his shoes. he can only inspire me. I don’t wanna imitate him because his magic is his magic”.

The cover art for the album was revealed to the public on May 18, 2022. The cover art shows the back of the head of Chris Maurice Brown with the L.P. title carved into his hair.

Chris Brown’s New Album Breezy review

The release of Breezy was preceded by three singles from the project, namely Iffy, WE (Warm Embrace), and Call Me Everyday (featuring Wizkid). If you are looking for “endearing music” that speaks to “women’s soul,” then Breezy is a must-listen.

Till the wheels fall off (featuring Lil Durk and Capella Grey)

Photo Credits: Boardroom.tv

Kicking off with this track makes perfect sense. In ‘Till the Wheels Fall Off,’ Chris attacked the topic of retirement head-on. He’s reassuring the listener that he’s here for the long haul and has no intention to retire soon.

It’s natural for artists to retire before they start slacking off. Good examples of artists who retired from active music creation are Logic and 50 Cent. However, like Kanye, Chris Brown chooses to keep reinventing his sound and stay active.

Here, Breezy reflected on his past, family, and haters. He emphasized situations where he helped people, but they “were so cold” in return.

Rolling out 10 critically and commercially acclaimed albums is no small feat, and C.B. has pulled it off like it’s nothing.

Till the Wheels Fall Off features Lil Durk and Capella Grey. The delivery of Lil Durk was fire as usual. Durk name-dropping Travis Scott is one important highlight of his verse. He sympathized with the Trap rapper’s struggle after the sad AstroWorld incident and the backlash from the ‘culture.’

Before the release date, Chris Brown shared a video of him performing a solo version of Till the Wheels Fall Off via the “4ShootersOnly” YouTube channel.

It has this mellow but boppy vibe. This version got a lot of people longing for the tenth studio album release. Coupled with the snippet of “Call Me Everyday,” which Chris Brown teased on the same day.

Sonically, the Capella Grey was worth adding, but the lyrical content was quite inaudible and forgettable.

Catch a body (featuring Fivio Foreign)

This is a surreal track featuring Fivio foreign. It blurs the line between  RnB and drill. You have to give Breezy credit for stepping out of his comfort zone. I, for one, never thought RnB and drill could sound so great together sonically and contextually.

In a bid to give listeners a different vibe, this track is essential. But I don’t think it’s a song I’ll include on my playlist.

If I were to rank the best songs on this project, it wouldn’t make the best 15 songs. I understand its inclusion and appreciate the effort.

Nevertheless, I don’t think this is the best we could get from a Chris Brown and Fivio Foreign feature.

Pitch Black

Here is one track that would last long on my RnB playlist. The additional vocals from Anderson Paak breathe freshness into Chris Brown’s new album as a whole. I wish Anderson were more prominent on this track, but the shortness of his part does not take away from the magic of the song.

I assure you that Pitch Black is that song that makes you ask for more. Chris Brown serenades me on this track and lingers on one of the major themes of R&B, sex. If you have a bedroom or sensual playlist, Pitch Black is a perfect fit.

Possessive (featuring Lil Wayne, BLEU)

Possessive is one of my favorite songs on the Breezy L.P. The Yung Bleu intro was out of this world. I felt like levitating once the track started. I’m not a big Yung Bleu fan, but his vocal performance has grown over the years.

On this track, Chris Brown was in the middle of losing it with his female lover, who couldn’t keep a secret. Beyond his lyrics, you can feel the mixture of loving and nagging. He’s committing the same “crime” he accused his female lover of in “surviving the night.” As we proceed, we will talk about “surviving the nights.”

This song is like a college project where every member did their best. Everyone snapped on this song. The intoxicating melodies and vulnerable lyricism made this track an unforgettable one.

It is safe to say Lil Wayne never misses. The lollipop crooner has not been having the most publicity freebies lately after he sold his masters for 100 million dollars.

He’s been releasing visualizers for old songs and featuring new and old artists. His Tory Lanez feature was out of this world but did not do particularly well commercially. He also had one bop with Dababy.

While the Lil Wayne stimulus package is no longer a thing, his contribution to featured songs is the best thing after sliced bread.

Call Me Every Day (featuring Wizkid)

The track starts with a Wizkid intro. It has this Afro-Caribbean vibe that makes you want to go to the Maldives and sip a cocktail while moving your body to the rhythm. It’s not too early to crown ‘Call me Every Day’ as the summer song. If this song gains enough mileage, 2022 might be a replay of late 2020 to 2021, when Wizkid took over the world with Essence, a Caribbean summer jam featuring Tems.

Need You Right Here (featuring Bryson Tiller)

Photo Credits: Pagesix.com

Apart from the Lil Baby feature, every feature on the record feels smooth. This song is a 10/10.

Bryson Tiller has been on his A-game lately. Like “Need You Right Here” track with Diddy titled Gotta Move On would make you wanna compile a Tiller-only playlist. Truly, it is Bryson’s season.

Like Pitch Black, Need You Right Here is a must-add to your bedroom playlist. The melody makes me want to cuddle for real.

Hmhmm (featuring E.S.T. Gee)

While listening to this particular track, my friend, a music expert, wasn’t feeling this track and felt the feature wasn’t necessary or memorable.

I beg to differ. Thematically, this is a perfect song for the L.P., but I felt E.S.T. Gee could have performed better on the track.

Warm embrace

This track is one of my favorites from the record. The perfect falsetto and insane beat make you want to dance as Jackson would. The music video featured Normani (at her best).

The choreography in the music video was mind-blowing, and you can feel the ‘connexion’ between the duo. I was completely overwhelmed with this particular track’s romantic choreography and the highs and lows.

This track reminds you of why Chris Brown is the greatest RnB singer/performer of all time. Everything about ‘Warm Embrace’ exudes perfection.

Surviving nights

The theme fuses the concept of drugs and women. An unsuspecting listener might think he is speaking to a girl, but he’s been talking about drugs the whole time.

Psychic  (featuring Jack Harlow)

Photo Credits: Guardian.ng

Please permit me to crown this track the bop for the summer. Its beat makes you want to move all you got, and both singers did their job well.

Psychic is one of my favorite tracks on the Breezy album. Jack Harlow has had his fair share of criticism in the past weeks after dropping his record; come home, the kids miss you.

The project did not do well because of its underwhelming lyricism and bland beats.

But one thing you cannot take away from the Drake protege is his ability to craft uptempo hits with confidence going through the roof on every single one.

Addicted

To date, I still wonder why the Lil Baby verse was so unnecessarily long and unusually not catchy.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m a big Lil Baby fan, but his performance here was so confusing that it almost spoiled the crazy vibe Chris Brown brought later in the track.

Chris Brown and Lil Baby have snapped on previous songs, but their combo did not work out well this time.

At first, I did not like ‘Addicted,’ but I appreciated Breezy’s contribution when I took my bath and couldn’t skip the track before Lil Baby’s time elapsed.

Addicted could have been a fire track if Lil Baby’s part were shorter or repositioned to come later in the song.

Show it (featuring Blxst)

Photo Credits: Billboard.com

I might be biased here because I’m a big fan of Blxst. Like Blxst said on this record, “They said Blxst don’t miss…”.

This uptempo track pulls you in from beginning to end. I don’t know which is my best track between Show It and Surviving the Night, but Show It is a track I’m going to put on repeat for a very long time.

Sleep at night

Here’s one thing for certain; the more you listen to this record, the better it gets, just like fine wine.

Sleep at Night gives off these spiritual and healing vibes. Here, Chris Brown advises his lover to be herself. He reassures her that he’ll be there for her regardless of how she chooses to live.

I loved the calm nature of this track. I wish it came earlier on the album. Sleep At  Night is the type of song you want to ask Siri to play before bed.

Passing Time

Passing the time is one of the best tracks on the tenth album. The producer, Chris Brown, snapped on this song.

I find it hard to believe anyone is consistent at making great music as Chris does. The song lyrics portray Chris conversing with his lover and asking for reassurance if her parents object to their union.

Closure (featuring H.E.R.)

At this point, we can all agree that a joint made by Chris and H.E.R. will always slap. Last year, both artists linked up to give us a great hit titled “come through.” This song will make my top 10 smoothest songs from the new album.

‘Closure’ is something we seek before ending a relationship. To many, it makes healing easier and helps filter any ill thoughts we may have toward the other person. On this track, Chris is saying, “F culture.”

If you just broke up with your partner, this might be the track you need to keep it moving.

The title of this song might be misleading as it is not about reconciling with your ex; in fact, the whole lyrics were dedicated to not giving a damn about your estranged partner.

Forbidden

Forbidden sounds like a song Micheal Jackson or Usher would make. While no one can take the place of M.J., as Chris Brown correctly stated in his interviews, this track shows that Michael lives forever in our hearts and music.

I love this track because I’ve never heard Chris in this manner before. The high-pitched falsetto and the uptempo beats match so well that I did a couple of moonwalks in honor of the King of Pop.

Bad Then a Beach

Tory is Chris Brown’s protégé in many ways. When Tory is not rapping, you can hear Chris Brown’s influences in his voice. The similarity came to life in their previous joint titled Feels.

Simply put, they can’t miss. Their voices suit each other, and they complete each other’s lines. If you don’t listen close enough, you might think it’s Chris singing all, though.

Likewise, if Bad Then a Beach was placed on a Tory project, it might be a Tory solo version.

Sex Memories (featuring Ella Mai)

This R&B track is all about nostalgia Chris felt from a great sexual experience with his partner. And his desire to do it again.

Chris Brown spoke highly of Ella Mai during his interview with BigBoyTV. He described her as an RnB genius who referenced multiple of his past song titles while writing her lyrics for sex memories.

On listening to this joint, I realized why Chris praised Ella Mai in the interview. Truly, she held it down. This track is getting featured on my bedroom playlist.

Dream

Dream sounds like a typical Chris Brown track. It’s pretty formulaic if you ask me. I’m not a fan of this one. In my opinion, this is the worst track on Brown’s new album.

When you compare Dream to tracks like Surviving the Night or Call Me Everday, you start to wonder what prompted Chris to include it in the album. 

Slide

It’s an average song, in my opinion. It’s not going to make my playlist. It’s neither hot nor cold.

After the first listen, I struggled to understand the song’s concept or essence. There are songs where the lyricism is not hard, but the beat makes up for the missing luster, but Slide’s beat is not fantastic or noteworthy.

Harder

Letting the beat lead is genius if you ask me. I love the progression of Harder. It’s a well-executed project. Is it going to make my top ten list? I’m not sure.

I think this vibe might grow on me. So I’m giving Harder the benefit of the doubt. I’m open-minded on this song.

On Some New Shit

To be sincere, I wouldn’t mind if this track was left out of Chris Brown’s new album. It’s not my cup of tea.

Like Slide and Dream, this is another song that shouldn’t have left Brown’s hard drive. As the song kept playing, I was tempted to press “next,” but I was patient. I was quite relieved when the track ended. 

Luckiest Man

Yes! Yes! Yes! Finally, some great tracks after a couple of bad songs. This track right here makes me want to propose to my lover.

Here, he found “the one,” aka true love. He’s confident this is the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

It’s the kind of song you want to perform to your lover (if you have a good voice) or, better still, mime. ‘Luckiest Man’ is just that good.

If I remember, I’ll mandate the D.J. or whoever is in charge of the music at my wedding to play this song. 

Iffy

Photo Credits: iheart.com

I have mixed feelings about this one, but I have to admit it’s a banger. I assume it would be the favorite song of dancers, but it’s simply not my cup of tea. Iff was added as a bonus track.                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Final Thought: How did Chris Brown Do?

Chris Brown did amazingly well on this album vocally and lyrically. His features were amazing, but I was disappointed he had no song featuring Drake. Also, he could have upped the number of hip-hop artists on this record.

Commercially, the record was predicted to garner 60,000 units. Breezy is currently the number one album on Spotify. The tenth studio album, Breezy, marked Brown’s recent entry to the number one spot on Spotify.

Hopefully, this is not the last album we’re getting from Breezy. He teased new music on his Instagram story and a now-deleted post recently, but he did not specify when it was coming out. Apart from his Instagram Stories, you can also discover a new song snippet from his OnlyFans.

If you don’t know, hip-hop rapper Lil Baby and Chris Brown’s tour kicks off on July 19, 2022. The tour ends on August 27 in Las Vegas.