I know the morbidity of making this post, considering Fantasia's very troubling personal issues of late.However, bad publicity is still publicity.
I was aware that Fantasia, the season three winner of American Idol, was releasing a new album, but I wasn't particularly interested in it. Partially because of my waning interest in today's R&B, and partially because I wasn't expecting much from her anyway, I ignored it. Then, news came of her attempted suicide and decided to check out her newest single "Bittersweet". I am happy to say I was more than impressed.
While it is a typical R&B ballad and anyone from Monica to Keyshia Cole could've recorded it, the song is excellent because Fantasia is singing it. Using those pipes that made her a star on reality television, Fantasia's vocals are anguished, reflective, and powerful, while maintaining an excellent level of control. She hasn't lost a bit of her vocal prowess and impact, undoubtedly making her one of the best female singers out there. The material plays to her strengths; she sings about a relationship that brings forth difficult memories. Considering her now publicized personal life, Fantasia singing the lyrics hold a heavier weight than before.
Controversy or no controversy, "Bittersweet" is an excellent comeback record for a young woman who's ben through it all and is trying to get back on track. I doubt she'll have any trouble doing so.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
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