Artist: Omarion & Bow Wow
Album: Face Off
Genre: Rap/R&B
Release Date: 12/11/2007
Label: Sony

I have to admit right away that I'm not the biggest Bow Wow fan but I did get Omarion's last cd and was semi-impressed with the album. The song "Midnight" from Omarion's 21 album was my cut, I can't lie. Anyways, about this album:

One thing that really bothers me about this album is the fact that when most young people start out in the industry, they have albums that show their immaturity in subject matter, yet when they begin to mature that subject matter quickly changes to promiscuity and sexual connotations. Trust me, you'll find a lot of that on here. Much more than that, you'll be plastered with the reminder that "they're so great", "they're so fly" and "they have it all".

This album fails to deliver even one smash hit that you would expect from an album of this caliber. Top notch producers can't even bring life to this hallow corpse of an album.

I normally give my picks for favorite tracks on an album yet I can't even do that this time around. I really wasn't impressed with much but some of the beats, so the winner for favorite beat on the album goes to "He aint gotta know". Out of 5 stars this album get's a well deserved 1.5 and that's strictly for beats alone.

1.   Face Off : Average introduction to the album. Pretty much talking about themselves and giving a shout out to people from the past who have paved a way. Wasted space, nothing really worth listening to again.

2.   Hood Star: This song definitely has a hot beat but the subject matter is pretty much the same thing everyone else is talking about. Flashy cars, lots of money, lots of girls….we've heard it all before. This track is more about Bow Wow as you hear Omarion only on the chorus. Something to bump.

3.   Girlfriend: Another well constructed song that contains all the elements of the sound and vibe a lot of hits tend to follow, repetitive, catchy, good beat and a subject matter slightly interesting. Omarion takes more of the lead on this track. For the audience they're appealing to, this will be a definite hit.

4.   Hey Baby (Jump Off): As I had stated in a previous post, this song is very poorly constructed. This beat is simply horrible and there is no nice way to say it. It has annoying record scratches throughout that song that ruins the whole vibe of the track. It's kind of a dance track mixed with a little bit of old skool rap. Chorus is annoying and the subject matter is about a "Jump Off"…need I say more? If you don't know what Jump Off is I suggest you look it up….hint: it's not a term of endearment.

5.  He aint gotta know: Definitely another song that is made for the cars with the boom in the trunk. The beat is hot yet I'm realizing this early in the album that their example of showing their maturity is about creepin' and having jump offs. This is a song I would bump but only because of the beat. I'm really tired of hearing songs that promote cheating.

6.  Bachelor Pad: Yet another song that talks about being promiscuous and being with another man's girl. What I really like about this song though is the beat and the arrangement of the vocals. If it wasn't for that the song would be a total dud. There's also a good combination of both Omarion and Bow Wow on this track unlike some of the others that tend to be heavy towards one or the other.

7.   Listen: On this track we move from being promiscuous to being in love and being at that point where no one can tell you anything. Your friend is trying to tell you about your girl playing you yet you don't wanna hear that cause your so in love. I get it, but still not impressed with this track. It's very mediocre as far as the beat and lyrical content are concerned.

8.   Can't get tired of me: Decent beat but the lyrics fail to appeal. Picture this: I'm so fly, I look so good, I got so much that you just can't get tired of me. Now you know what this song is about…….and I'm moving on.

9.   Number Ones: Was this beat leftover from Jay-Z's album. Like seriously, this beat doesn't even fit their style at all. What's up with Omarion signing in Spanish on the chorus? This was another waste of space on this album. Don't get me wrong, the beat is hot but this song is not. Give Jay-Z back his beat!

10.  Baby Girl: I think this beat had the potential to be something great but failed to deliver when it was all said and done. The chorus is nicely done and is about the only thing that stands out to me on this track. Omarion heavy track. I liked him better on his own album.

11.   Take off your clothes: The title says all….Very passable beat. Overall horrible song. If you're going to talk about sex, atleast do it in a tasteful and creative manner. You have to force yourself to listen to this song just like the repetitive chorus "baby take off your clothes" makes you feel like it's a command.

12.   Another girl: Usher is that you? I swear it sounds like Usher singing on the chorus of this song. Atleast on this track their talking about being with one girl. The beat is ok. I can't really say too much more about this track.




Aaron Fields is the Sales Marketing Coordinator for KSTW-TV in Seattle. All opinions expressed in this column are strictly his