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As pop idols left their innocence and rap permanently relocated to the top of the chart, Chris Brown made a home at the intersection, blending a lithely expressive tenor with earnest themes of young romance and vaguely streetwise aesthetic. Coated in splashes of crunk, his eponymous 2005 debut introduced a krumping crooner with the youthful charm to guest on a G-rated sitcom. His 2007 follow-up, <i>Exclusive</i>, reinforced that first impression, with the expanded edition including features that gave a hardened edge to teenie-bop sentimentality. The LP is Chris Brown in all his earliest multitude, oscillating between stylish club excursions and ephemeral teenage thrill. With its gleaming, pixelated synths and anthemic choru, "Wall To Wall" plays out like a sequel to "Run It!" Laced with a twangy instrumental and an energetic multilayered hook, the T-Pain–assisted "Kiss Kiss" captures the ecstasy of a new crush. With his malleable vocal, C. Breezy is able to slide between styles and collaborators with ease, sounding as comfortable alongside Big Boi ("Hold Up") as he does with will.i.am. ("Picture Perfect"). Everything stylish is threaded by a young man's sincerity. There are new dimension, too. "Take You Down," a classic lovemaking anthem, adds a newer layer of outright sensuality to the mix—think Jodeci but more helium-toned. It's a forecast of the future. .

via Apple Music

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