Deborah Cox: The Promise

When I think of famous Canadians, a few things come to mind… Dudley Do Right. Deez. Maple syrup. Barry Melrose’s mullet. You know, the usual suspects. And it’s a shame that I can only name those because Canada comes correct. No matter how many games the Toronto Blue Jays lose or how bad the Toronto Raptors will be once Chris Bosh leaves in the much-hyped 2010 free agency season, Canadians can always lean on Deborah Cox.

Cox hasn’t been on the urban music radar since 2002, when I was busy bumping The Eminem Show. Her album The Morning After featured appearances by Jadakiss and Kurupt; two features that were overlooked by many hip-hop heads. Cox was dropped soon after the release by J Records due to low album sales and few live shows as a result of her pregnancy. She was four years removed from a platinum plaque for One Wish, which had her biggest hit, “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here.”

Fast forward to 2008. Cox hasn’t been on the scene besides dropping a jazz album, Destination Moon, last year. Her newest album, The Promise, is her comeback to R&B. And, for the most part, it was worth the wait.

“Did You Ever Love Me”, “The Promise”, and “All Hearts Aren’t Shaped the Same” are easy stand outs off of this very brief, 40-minute album. “Did You Ever Love Me” has Cox reflecting on a relationship that has seen better days:

I painted this perfect picture of you and me in my head
I sacrificed my mind, body, and soul. You showed me you didn’t care
Now did you ever stop and think about how you made my life a living hell?
It’s so hard believing that you would treat me like this
Now I’m questioning over and over

While listening to the title track, you’d think you were listening to the coolest wedding vows ever (well, second-coolest, next to Luther Vandross’ “Here and Now”). Unlike the corny ones used in Wedding Crashers, these are legit.

I can’t promise the moon,
I might just sing out of tune,
But I will always be true
This is my promise to you

I’ll be the light that shines through your darkest days
The one true voice that you won’t escape
When you’re lost I’ll be that familiar face
This is my promise to you

“I might just sing out of tune?” Ha, you aren’t fooling anybody with that one. If any complaints, one would be that Cox‘s is vocally subdued throughout the album; a departure from the strength of her previous works. She really doesn’t belt it out as much as she has shown in the past and it slightly below her maximum potential.

Cox also gives a nod to all the DJ’s out there who like to turn her songs into club mixes. “Beautiful U R” and “Down 4 U” are headed straight to the club without the aid of a remix. Unfortunately, the up-tempo tracks really seem out of place on this album. They would probably work best as bonus tracks instead of being scattered throughout the LP; which disrupts the flow of the album. Regardless, Cox puts out a worthy effort in her return to R&B. Promise me, Deborah, that you’ll come with a similar (and longer) effort on the next one.

Overall Score: 84/100

Standout Tracks:

“Promise”

“Did You Ever Love Me”

“All Hearts Aren’t Shaped The Same”

Writer’s Note: Big shouts to my homegirl Xtina for all of her help with this review and research.