Notes & Personnel Info |  | The music behind Tyler Perry's films is as reliable, familiar, and comfortable as the films themselves. The soundtrack for MEET THE BROWNS, a comedy about a couple's clashing families, plays like a stylistic family reunion as generations of R&B fade in and out. Neo-soul singer Musiq Soulchild opens the set, faithfully recreating Arrested Development's 1992 hit "People Everyday," itself based on Sly & the Family Stone's "Everyday People"; Kelly Price joins in with a lively take on the Staples Singers' "I'll Take You There"; Soul stalwarts Gerald Levert and Chaka Khan add sultry slow jams; and Jill Scott shows off her jazzy side. The album wraps up on a gospel note with actress, singer, and Perry regular Tamela Mann leading a choir on a round of "Hallelujah." | | Falling in line with the Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion, Daddy's Little Girls, and Why Did I Get Married? soundtrack releases, Meet the Browns also features a mixture of what most R&B fans over the age of 30 proudly refer to as "grown folks' music" -- "grown folks" often being code for "proper" or "real." These soundtracks, as a stand-alone series separate from the movies, have filled a niche, given the consistent aesthetic and shortage of major-label attention -- when it comes to compilations, at least -- granted to this sector. Though some of the Tyler Perry soundtracks have dipped into the past, Meet the Browns is all current, with its previously released cuts all coming from albums released within the previous year, like Gerald LeVert's "Sweeter," Ledisi's "Alright," and Jill Scott's "My Love" (all of which are highlights here). The more noteworthy new cuts include Case & Coko's "Face to Face," Brandy's "Get This" (an underwhelming, shrug-worthy return), and Kelly Price's impressive cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There." All in all, another set of mature (nearly to a fault), mostly mellow R&B dominated by the women. ~ Andy Kellman |
Musical Guests | | Estelle |
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