Sophomore blues

Former Atlanta resident Blu Cantrell’s career is an enigma. Two years ago, she exploded on the scene with the Dallas Austin-produced “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!),” a song about a wronged lover who seeks revenge by maxing out her ex’s credit cards at the nearest Neiman-Marcus. Set to a brash 1920’s-style swing beat, the song shot to No. 2 on Billboard’s pop charts. Sales of Cantrell’s first album, So Blu, along with her good looks and substantial vocal ability, plus strong backing by Arista head L.A. Reid, should have easily translated into mega-stardom — yet she continues to fall below most people’s musical radar.

And now, her obvious talent and potential are once again in danger of being overlooked: Nude photographs of the singer have circulated on the Internet and resurfaced in Black Tail, a raunchy porn magazine, and rumors of an upcoming pictorial in Playboy abound. This is the last thing she needs — more attention for all the wrong reasons.

Unfortunately, Bittersweet, Cantrell’s second album, which hit stores June 24, may not change that. According to the rumor mill, the album, originally slated for an earlier release, was pushed back because initial response was lukewarm. Cantrell suggests this wasn’t the case, that more songs were being submitted: “We were getting more music so we decided to wait.”

The album has already seen some success, especially in the pop arena, with its first single, “Breathe,” a remix that includes red-hot reggae artist Sean Paul. Cantrell, who never went into a studio with Sean Paul, has no difficulty recording collaborations separately. She is, however, concerned with performing them. “The chemistry,” she admits, “may not be right when you do it live.” Unlike other artists, though, she doesn’t worry about the pressures that usually come with the sophomore effort, which can make or break an artist. “[So Blu] actually passed my expectations,” she says, confident that Bittersweet will at least match the first album’s sales.

Cantrell, the daughter of an aspiring jazz singer, has never wanted to do anything but sing. Before taking center stage, she sang backup for P. Diddy, Gerald Levert and Faith Evans, to whom she is often compared. Cantrell’s strong vocal style lends itself to the sad, love-gone-wrong songs that her audience has come to expect.

Bittersweet’s “Sleep in the Middle,” written and produced by Shep Crawford (the man behind Deborah Cox’s monstrous hit “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here”) is a perfect example. The song is about a woman who sleeps in the middle of the bed because her lover is off with someone else. Cantrell says the song appealed to her because “it was a big ballad, [with] a lot of escalation in the song and a lot of emotion.”

“It is just about hurt and pain in a relationship,” she explains. “That’s what I talk about in my songs. I’m happy, but I talk about the issues that need to be addressed. That’s the emotion that I relate to right now. It doesn’t mean that it’s always going to be like that — but that’s what I connect with right now.”

Just because she sings about pain is no reason for the songs to drag, though. “Unhappy,” a sure-fire “he’s- doing-me-wrong” anthem, makes use of thumping production and candid lyrics: “Here we go again/I’m going through it with my man/It seems like everything I do/ I cannot please you.” Cantrell’s voice conveys an intimacy, and every word seems heartfelt. And the hook is something any woman can relate to: “If you’re so unhappy with the way I look/If you’re so unhappy with the things I cook/If you’re so unhappy with being my man/Then why don’t you leave?”

This is Cantrell at her best. It’s unfortunate that she does not sustain that groove throughout the album. When she hits, she hits, but her misses are major. Coming from such a substantial talent, the result is indeed bittersweet.

music@creativeloafing.com