Brandy: Long Distance

Brandy has surely had a difficult last few years. After her 2004 release "Afrodisiac" failed to be a commercial success, Brandy struggled with many personal setbacks, the biggest of which included her 2006 car crash which left a bystander dead and Brandy facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit early next year. However, for now, Brandy's focus in 2008 is back on music, already delivering her first single from her new album (appropriately titled "Human", a not-so-subtle nod to her personal struggles) called "Right Here (Departed)" with moderate success across urban, rhythmic and pop radio platforms. Follow-up single "Long Distance" is an interesting departure for Brandy, for it is decidedly a reversion back to her late 90's big ballad smash "Have You Ever?" and is by far the least urban sounding record Brandy has put out in years. That said, it is a beautifully building record that features sweepingly dramatic choruses, an emotional refrain, and big orchestral instrumentation at the climax that wouldn't be out of place on a Josh Groban record. If this makes the record sound a bit dated -- well, it may be -- and this big ballad of a single will have a tough time finding its niche on Top 40 radio, with bouncy, upbeat records like Britney's "Circus" and Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dominating most of the airwaves lately. At the very least, it is nice to hear Brandy on record again, and for someone who has endured so much turmoil in recent months, she has never sounded more at ease.