I remember when Usher first came out. I remember how I
felt too mature to feel anything he was doing, but
when his music and look grew up a taste, I felt as if
his style and attitude was distinctly mine. Like
Usher, sixteen year old Chris Brown cannot help to
start off with the teen thing. It would be ridiculous
to have him make an ass of himself like some of his
contemporaries in rap (Bow Wow) with overblown bravado
(in "Fresh as I'm Is", Bow Wow claims R&B artists who
need his help wish they had his style.. why the hell
would any R&B'er want to be bothered with a guest
appearance from somebody with an attitude like that?).

No, Chris shows that, in spite of the trend of
despising anything under eighteen that doesn't have a
parental advisory sticker on it, a youngun can bring
it and get respect and some females in the process.

The Virginia native may have you fooled into thinking
"Run It" was some one hit wonder, that his
hyper-kinetic dancing and clean-cut look was onto its
way to dying under Usher's shadow, but I'm telling you
it ain't so. You can see a soulful sense of confidence
(not loud-mouthed cockiness) in his vocal delivery
that will separate him from some of the tired,
S-curled BET boy bands of late. I could say "Yo'
(Excuse Me Miss)" and you could find folks of all ages
finishing the line. "Young Love" reminds you of Slick
Rick's "A Teenage Love" with its ability to be
emotional yet not syrupy with melodrama. Lord knows
that stuff's serious when you go through it. Chris
reminds you of that without embarrassing himself or
making you feel like an over-worked guidance counselor
for listening.

"Gimme That" spits some of the more grown up game,
stopping just short of a driver's permit with bad
intentions for females considered by law to be adults:

Momma you may be 3 years older but you hot (gimme
that)
You be talking like you like what I got (gimme that)
I know you like it how I lean in the lac,
You could be in the back saying (gimme, gimme, gimme).

"Is This Love", as does the rest of the album, has a
musical sophistication rarely afforded to teen
singers. Jermaine Dupri, Scott Storch, the Underdogs
get their props at the production board for this. With
this soundscape, Brown is smooth as Tevin Campbell but
more in command. There aren't a slew of collaborations
that work as subterfuge for how thinly drawn an
artist's skills are here either. Noah's guest
appearance on "What's My Name" is totally expendable.
"Poppin'" almost brings to mind Jodeci during the
"Diary of a Mad Band" phase - you know, before
everybody got all coked out.

Brown has what it takes to last. There is enough of a
stage in our hearts for both he and Usher. American
scientist and visionary Alan Kay states that the best
way to "predict the future is to invent it." For all
those involved with bringing Chris Brown onto the
scene, they can be proud of known that they have
created the future of R&B.