First off...let me say that I actually like Queen Latifah - as a rapper and an actress....but OMG.
Sometimes there is a fine line between having the guts to consider trying something out of your talent comfort zone...and the stupidity to actually waste listeners time going through with it. I'm sure even the misguided souls who (in the middle of their drunken stupor) gave Queen Latifah a resounding thumbs up for this veritable nonsense, would agree with the age old cliche : 'You'll Never Get Rich Playing Another Man's Game'. Well, my theory is that if Dana Owens had to rely only on her singing prowess to make a living, she really would be living single...and asking people if they want fries with their burger.
We all should realize by now that the biggest factor involved in evaluating an artist and her material is...to disregard her OTHER relatively unrelated (albeit substantial) talents. The point is, if Dana Owens wasn't in every tenth TV sitcom or movie, then I think she would surely be judged a bit more accordingly.
I've got an idea. If we all listen to this as if we'd never heard of Queen Latifah before in any capacity, and measure it against other legitimate artists producing music like this - we'd likely arrive at the same conclusion I have: That comparatively speaking, her performances are LAME. And in some cases downright BRUTAL. Anyone who listens to just local musicians in your respective areas of the country, can find nine or ten neighborhood singer/songwriters whom - were they produced at the same level Queen Latifah is, would render similar (I'd say even superior) results. You see, some of the artists in my area can actually SING in an above average manner. Which is more than I can say for Snorah Jones here.
Well her CD is aptly titled, everybody SHOULD 'Travel Light'--as in at Light Speed..in the other direction-if they're asked to pay good money for this collection of (sub)standards.
Why can't celebs like Latifah just leave the singing to the real professionals, and get back to rapping? Or just get back in front of the camera. Go, and help increase the level of quality in contemporary film, rather than stay and help drain all the real originality/quality out of the music industry.
