When the London bred duo Floetry debuted in 2002 with their album "Floetic", Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart brought a distinct sound to their genre. With Ambrosius tagging herself as the "songstress" and Stewart the "flowacist", they took elements from hip hop and spoken word and fused them with plush instrumentation and pure soul driven lyrics. Known for their incredible stage presence, Floetry found instant success in the United States. In 2005, they released a successful follow up album entitled "Flo'Ology" and seemed destined for longevity, but in 2007, Natalie Stewart chose to leave the group for unknown reasons. Left on her own, Ambrosius got busy working with A-list artist and producers of various genres by writing, producing and featuring on their projects. Releasing a slew of mixtapes to build the anticipation for her solo debut, Marsha Ambrosius is ready to reintroduce herself to the world as her own brand.
In The Still of The Night
A wide range of emotions floods this 13 track offering, but the sexual angst resonates on the airy sounding "Anticipation" and the grand piano licks of "With You". Oozing carnal lust on the title track "Late Nights And Early Mornings", she boldly asks, "Let me do you all night long?" If you've been a fan of Floetry, then you know Ambrosius can articulate sexually aggressive lyrics quite colorfully. Then, there's her lead single, "Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player)", where she confesses her bitterness and jealousy over a past beau. These are the types of songs that represent the common feelings we've all experienced while laying in our beds alone (sometimes) thinking about the ups and downs of love.
After The Morning After
On the self produced "I Want You To Stay", Ambrosius mixes blissful chords with yearning lyrics. The same type of vocals can be found on the doo wop inspired "Tears", but in a more passionate and desperate tone. On the latter track she begs her lost love to come back to her informing him, "I'm a grown woman and I aint too proud." A great deal of the album is dedicated to heartache and insight that have stemmed from lost loves. It's the type of realization that only a sunrise can bring.
Highlights
Marsha's rendition of Lauryn Hill's "Lose Myself" evoked nearly the same type emotion, if not more, than the original track. Her second single, the Just Blaze produced "Far Away", is by far one of the best tracks on the album. She does well with matching the right production to her sultry vocals, especially on "Your Hands". Her ear for vocal arrangement, instrumentation and penning lyrics is as uncanny as they come. I think that this album is one of the best to come out thus far in 2011.
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