Review Summary: cult classic pop alb
I learned of Cassie the way that I'm sure most people did – via the popularity of her 2006 hit single
Me & U. The catchy and hypnotic dance track captured the attention of P. Diddy, which led not only to Cassie signing to his label and releasing an album, but also a romantic relationship which would end up lasting all the way until 2018. But first and foremost, Diddy, a man of business, wanted to work with Cassie to release an album on the heels of
Me & U's success. Together, with the help of producer Ryan Leslie, the team created Cassie's self-titled album, which was met with a reasonable amount of commercial success, along with the eventual development of a cult following.
The eleven track album begins with
Me & U and is followed by
Long Way 2 Go, which was the second and only other single that
Cassie produced. These two tracks, which have both likely been heard by everyone who was listening to the radio in 2006, set the tone for the rest of the album. The beats are minimalistic, spacey, smooth – and they do a wonderful job of complementing Cassie's silky, seductive, and soulful R&B vocals. Lyrically, the album focuses interchangeably on both the blossoming and the withering of romantic and sexual relationships.
Opting for one main producer on
Cassie as opposed to having an army of people working on the album gives it a consistency in sound that I don't often hear in pop albums past or present (especially present). This, along with its relatively short runtime (35 minutes), and the aforementioned smoothness of both Cassie's vocals and Leslie's beats, causes the album to have a sort of floating effect as one listens.
Cassie passes pleasantly through the ears like your favorite white noise or raindrops audio that you like to fall asleep to, and then before you know it, it's over.
While Cassie's popularity has waned over time,
Cassie has maintained a small and dedicated fanbase. It's the perfect pop album for a cult following, being flawless at what it does while also being assertively unsensational. If you are a pop music fan who hasn't heard this album, I promise you that it's one of the most effortlessly enjoyable listens you'll encounter. So go ahead and make your move…baby, tell me if you like it.
