The Album (Teyana Taylor album)- Teyana Taylor
American singer Teyana Taylor debuted her new album in June.
Reviewed by Craig Hoffman
She stars in the VH1 reality television show Teyana and Iman, with her husband, NBA player Iman Shumpert. Taylor got an early start in the music business at age 15 as the choreographer on Beyoncé’s popular single, “Ring the Alarm.”
She is credited on this current work as a producer along with several others, including Timbaland and Kayne West.
There were numerous reports that Taylor was unhappy over control issues with her second studio album K.T.S.E. She was insistent in pre-release interviews that she “...take full accountability that I need to be 110 percent on everything [on the production] that I do.” The timing of the release was also an effort to take control of her career according to the artist.
“With releasing the album on Juneteenth, it’s important because if you noticed the lead singles that I led with were “Made It” and “We Got Love.” So I’ve always been here. I’ve always been about us being celebrated and celebrating my culture and my people. For everything to happen, from my album getting delayed and it falls perfectly on Juneteenth, yes, it’s a celebration.”
There are 23 tracks on The Album. This is a significant increase in material from her previous efforts. K.T.S.E. features only eight tracks. Guest artists include Big Sean and multiple Grammy Award Winner and neo soul genre pioneer Lauryn Hill. There is also an appearance by Taylor’s daughter Junie.
The Album is long. It clocks in at 27 minutes, well over that with the bonus tracks offered on iTunes. There are some nice vocals from Taylor, but the songs, in general, sound much the same. That’s disappointing from an artist who has previously shown glimpses of star potential.
It remains to be seen if the tutelage of Kayne West will be enough to push her to a more elite level in terms of musical variety. Though, the question must be asked, “Is Taylor good or are her best moments merely the result of her production team?” This is studio record number three after all.
The Album appears to indicate the latter despite Taylor’s aforementioned attempts to seize control of its creation. The material is relatable, but it is not consistent in presentation or style. This despite heavy pre-release promotion, as of this writing, six singles have been released.
“How You Want It? (HYWI?)” showcases King Combs. It hovered in the Top-30 on the American charts and did slightly better internationally with a high of Number 13 in New Zealand. Sadly, there are some rather uninspired tracks including “Lowkey,” “Come Back To Me,” and “Boomin.”
These tracks are emblematic of why the other previously released singles failed to launch. Taylor isn’t good enough to overcome subpar material despite its moments of insight into Taylor’s well publicized relationship troubles with Shumpert. That’s a shame especially after a promising start to her solo career on her earlier shorter albums.
Final Take: Teyana Taylor is a talented and beautiful singer. But there is work to be done for this artist to grow into one who can handle more than a handful of soulful singles on a record, especially when warbling alone on lackluster tunes. Drop in and listen to The Album but be ready to hit the skip button. Warning for some explicit content. 2.75/5 stars.
Craig Hoffman is a music graduate of Ohio Northern University and The University of Akron School of Music. He also serves as the Icon’s Japan correspondent.
