Kristina DeBarge :: Exposed CD Review

Courtesy of Island

Kristina DeBarge has opened for Britney Spears on her Circus tour, recorded with Babyface and Ryan Tedder and now she’s finally released her debut album to her growing legions of fans. Check out Kidzworld’s review of Exposed.

Bye Bye Boyfriend

On her long-awaited debut album Exposed, Kristina DeBarge remixes the classic sports stadium anthem—Nah nah nah nah! Nah nah nah nah! Hey hey hey! Goodbye!—with an amped-up R&B energy, but Kristina isn’t bidding adieu to a rival team, she’s saying bye bye to a bad boyfriend. Goodbye is a farewell most of us can relate to. If you’re looking to bounce back from a broken heart, Exposed packs piles of breakup and single anthems for the proudly unattached like Disconnect, a pining ode to growing apart from that special someone.

Future Love

Kristina had some big names helping her with this album. Ryan Tedder, the guy who wrote Halo for kwlink 2379]Beyonce[/kwlink] and Battlefield for Jordin Sparks, penned Kristina’s tracks Speak Up and Future Love. Kenneth Babyface Edmonds, who’s written for Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton, contributed four songs to Exposed—Disconnect, It’s Gotta Be Love, Doesn’t Everbody Want to Fall in Love and Cried Me a River. Sabotage is another standout track—it may be heavy on the autotune, but Kristina’s voice is still dripping in attitude. She’s fed up and the frantic beats reflect all that livid energy.

The Bottom Line

A few choice tracks on Exposed are great for energizing you on a rainy day, for but there’s not a lot of staying power here. Unless Kristina strengthens her voice and carves out a more distinct personality, she’s going to end up as just another pop tart of the moment. Enjoy her singles on the radio, but skip the album.