Album Review: Chris Brown, 11:11

Chris Brown

11:11 (released November 10, 2023)

August 2023:

My reaction:

October 2023:

My reaction:

This guy just refuses to be great.

I know the previous sentence just caused 80% of Teem Breezy to fly into a rage, so for the rest of you who are still reading and not yet planning to firebomb my house, let’s talk about my frustrations with my play Cousin Chris.

For better or worse, Chris Brown has been the face of mainstream R&B for more than a decade. And truly, his talent is undeniable. He’s arguably the best male performer we have (though the resurgence of Usher Raymond has that crown in question). And he spent so much of the 2010s sounding like a Young Money rapper (call him Tyga BackWoods) that it’s easy to forget that he’s one of the better vocalists of his era.

Despite all those accolades, along with scores of №1 records, he continues to lack the one thing that every true R&B legend has on their resume — that one great album to cement his legacy.

And yeah, we know how good his first two albums are and, yes, F.A.M.E. is probably his most defining album, but if y’all wanna keep speaking his name in the same breath as Michael Jackson, Brother Breezy needs a Thriller. Or an Off the Wall. Or even a Bad or Dangerous.

Playa please, he barely has an Invincible.

Let’s face it, Cousin Chris has spent the past six years playing the Streaming Game — dropping forgettable albums with bloated tracklists that pad his streaming numbers in the short term, but cripple his legacy long term.

And before you come for me, check your boy — he admitted the damage himself.

I ALWAYS COME WITH RECEIPTS:

“No more 20- to 40-song albums,” he said back in May. “JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MAGIC TO DIGEST.”

That’s why I was originally excited for 11:11 — a tight, 11 track release.

No filler, all thriller.

But his urge to pad those streaming numbers was just too much, and we’re back with another album that’s too long for its own good.

Trust me, 11:11 is no Thriller.

To be fair, this version of 11:11, now a double album, does have its highlights. Disc 1 starts out pretty strong.

“Angel Numbers/Ten Toes” is very attractive opener. The first half sets an acoustic, almost intergalactic feel as Breezy embraces the 11:11 theme. “Can you make a wish for me?” he asks — and my wish is that we had more songs in this vein. “Ten Toes” ramps up the intensity with CB dipping a bit back into this hip-hop swag bag. It’s not all empty posturing though; he speaks candidly about battling anxiety, showing the growth his fans have been begging for years now.

That leads into the second (and so far, best) single, “Sensational,” which gleefully embraces the Afrobeats vibe. Let’s be real — Afrobeats may be hot in the streets, but the sound itself is getting as played out in 2023 as New Jack Swing was in 1993. But DJ Hardwerk’s soothing, yet energetic production (along with solid contributions from Nigerian vocalists Davido and Lojay) make for a decent summer record … in November.

But from there, things get shaky really fast.

“Feel Something” is decent track hindered by a flat hook and “Best Ever” with Victoria Monet Maeta is a serviceable duet that lacks spark. Both are leagues better than “That’s on You.” The track features Future so of course Cousin Chris has to transform into GoBot Breezy, sounding like he’s literally gargling auto-tune on the hook. And if you like Afrobeats, I guess this is the album for you — nearly the entirety of the second half of disc one features refried Afrobeats production, each song less interesting than the last. Breezy sounds bored out of his mind thanks to the droning vocals effects on “Nightmares,” and lord knows I can relate after hearing it. “Sensational,” it ain’t.

Disc 1 does wrap up with a glimmer of promise — “Messed Up” is another showcase of growth as Chris atones for his sins and begs his girl “don’t give up on me.”

If you heed Cousin Chris’ advice on that last song and hang in there, you’ll find that Disc 2 is far superior to the previous side. Again, we get a great opener with “Midnight Freak,” an energetic throwback to Chris’ prime. It wouldn’t sound out of place in the Exclusive era.

The album’s true gem is what follows — “Moonlight.” Feeling like it was plucked from the Alexander O’Neal segment of a 1980s quiet storm playlist, Chris floats over the most captivating production on the album. His vocals are effortless and the direction is just what a maturing R&B veteran of his stature should be embracing. It’s one of the best songs he’s done in years.

But like the previous disc, things start slipping almost immediately. Though the production is much stronger this time around, there’s not enough variety to keep things interesting. “Make Up Your Mind” is the same rap&B-styled stuff we’ve heard ad nauseum since the F.A.M.E. days. “Red Flags” boasts a super catchy hook, but little else — it’s a bread sandwich with no meat in between. “Summer Too Hot,” the album’s first single, is fine in the moment but instantly forgettable, which is probably why it barely made a blip on the charts — a rarity for CB. I will give props to “Stutter,” though. Sorry Joe fans, it’s not a remake of his 2000 hit (although there are tributes sprinkled throughout) but it’s a serviceable midtempo cut.

Obviously a 22-track record is going to be much better listen than ALMOST 60, like that Heartbreak on a Full Moon horror show. Less tracks means a smaller margin for error. And that’s what makes 11:11 so frustrating. If Cousin Chris stuck to his guns and only gave us his best:

“Angel Numbers/Ten Toes”

“Sensational”

“Messed Up”

“Midnight Freak”

“Moonlight”

“Stutter”

along with some of the more tolerable album cuts like “Need a Friend,” “Best Ever,” “Closer” and even “Summer Too Hot,” that’s 10 songs right there. Drop in one more and you’d have the best Chris Brown album since F.A.M.E. Probably not a classic, but easily one of the better R&B albums of 2023.

Instead, he drowns himself in excess, and the project gets pulled down because of it.

Credit where it’s due: Even with the bloat, 11:11 is still the most listenable Chris Brown project in years. But what’s meh could have easily been magic — if only he had stuck to the plan.

Best tracks: “Moonlight,” “Midnight Freak,” “Angel Numbers/Ten Toes”

3 stars out of 5

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