Despite Akon's Help, Brick & Lace's Love is Wicked Falls Short of Expectations

Sisters Nyanda and Nailah Thourborne make up the Jamaican R&B duo Brick & Lace. The sisters were primarily raised in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to The US to pursue their musical aspirations. In 2004, they started working on their album, Love Is Wicked, with a variety of producers. In the studio, they met Akon, and he signed them to his Kon Live record label. Will Love Is Wicked be worth the wait?

The first single off of Love Is Wicked is Never Never produced by Akon. The song is fairly solid and was a good way to introduce Brick & Lace to the marketplace. The song however was not the best choice for the first single but due to the heavy urban elements of the song it makes sense.

The second single is the title track Love Is Wicked the song features the now infamous Diwali Riddim as the base for the track. The song is a solid reggae single however it just is not commercial enough to appeal to a broad spectrum of people.

The third single is Get That Clear (Hold Up) produced by Akon. The song is nothing special. The song mixes elements of reggae and urban unsuccessfully. The song just does not capture the listener's interest for any length of time.

Boyfriend is produced by Akon and written by Adonis. The song is one of the strongest and catchiest songs on the album. The song is more pop influenced than you would expect from this collaboration. The song has the largest mainstream appeal of any other track on the album.

Bust A Shot is produced by Will.I.Am and features a sample of Snoop Dogg's classic Murder Was The Case. The song features very nice vocal harmonies over a catchy beat. The production blends urban elements with more traditionally reggae elements.

Mr. Officer is produced by Cool & Dre. The song is interesting in concept but just fails in delivery. The song is okay at best and just does not offer anything worth listening to again after the initial listening.

My Apple is produced by The Movement and written by a member of the hit -aking production collective known as The Clutch. The song is fairly catchy and one of the better tracks on the album.

Don't Stop is produced by proven hit makers Full Force. The song is one of the better songs on the album and features very nice vocal harmonies.

Overall Love Is Wicked is a mixed bag. Some of the tracks on the album are very solid while some just are not up to par. Overall Love Is Wicked gets 7 out of 10. If you are a fan of Brick & Lace make sure you pick up their new album Love Is Wicked when it is available in stores December 4^th.