Monica - Still Standing

After the relative failure of her last album (which I arguably enjoyed), singer Monica went back to the basics and recorded an R&B-ballad heavy album reminiscent of her 1990s material. The opens with the empowering "Still Standing" (which also boasts the only featuring on the album with a verse by Ludacris).

The album continues with a number of traditional ballads that have returned the songstress to mainstream ready. Like the title cut, "Superman" was produced by Brian Michael-Cox ands Monica comparing her man to superman. She proclaims that "there is no other place that I'd rather be, there's no other face that I'd rather see" referring to her lover.

The classic ballads "Everything To Me" and "Love All Over Me" were released as the albums first two singles. Both of which, reached #1 on Adult R&B radio and were Top 2 hits on the mainstream R&B chart. The later includes the line "now where there was black and white, you've come made me iridescent." If that's no some good love, then I don't know what is.

The inspirational tracks "Mirror" and "Believing In Me" are standard Monica fair in that they are likewise empowering and discuss rising out of a negative situation to be able to look at one's self in the mirror and believe in themselves.

The most interesting tracks on the LP are the Bei Maejor produced "Stay or Go" and the Polow Da Don produced "Here I Am." The former finds Monica give her ultimatum, while "Here" finds Monica moving on from a lover, and arguably proclaiming, that she is willing to leave her man for another.

Honestly though, I can say that this album is flawless. It seems that there will only be three singles from it with the Trey Songz remixed "Here I Am" being pegged as the final single to make way for a new album. Even so, I hope that Monica continues this direction of music with her next album because she truly is a legend in the R&B game. When I saw her live a couple of months ago, I was absolutely blown away. True talent.

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