Late Nights, Early Mornings… Marsha Ambrosius album review

Like a lot of neo-soul fans, I really enjoyed the musical stylings of Floetry. They were two beautiful and multi-talented ladies who had such a different yet unique style. They came along at a time where R & B duos/groups would become scarce, and for people looking for something out of the norm, something that wasn’t cranked out of a pop/rock/Hip-Hop machine. One-half of that duo was songstress Marsha Ambrosius, a woman who would place so much energy and emotion behind every note. You could literally feel her heart flutter in different patterns in such classic slow jams as “Say Yes” and “Getting Late.” Unfortunately, the group would split and leave its fans clamoring for more.

Through the past few years, Marsha would make appearances on other albums, such as David Banner’s “Be With You,” and craft her own version of mixtapes, affectionately known as “Sextapes.” Her song “Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player)” was released well in advance of her album, and created a buzz in the industry. It even spurred much spoofing from the fellas; for example, my man Verties dedicated a whole day of Facebook statuses to “remix” the title (my personal favorite was “Hope He Cheats On You With A Girl With A Better Weave”). Floetry fans and people who were riding the buzz were chomping for “Marsh 1^st”, the day when Late Nights, Early Mornings would be released.

Fans should not be disappointed.

This album is so refreshing for its raw emotion. From the introduction, a tone is set for this to be a view into the psyche of relationships. “The Break Up Song,” is exactly as it sounds:

I need space, let me decide, where to go from here
Before I lose my mind, we both know it’s for the best
So than I’m counting on the sun it’s going to shine
Til than the darkest clouds stay over me & I’m torn apart
That you’re so over me, I’m so over you not even knowing
Me at all. I should’ve never made this call.

With very few exceptions, this is a slow jam classic. The only two really up- tempo songs are a remix of “Butterflies” and “Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player.” The rest of this album is slow, sensual, sad, and simplistic in its theme. Surprising cuts were “Lose Myself,” a cover of the Lauryn Hill version, and “Sour Times,” which was a Portishead jam.

Overall, this album is certain to stir up emotions. Some of the tracks, like the title track “Late Nights, Early Mornings” are destined to appear on slow jam playlists and send a hundred cell phones sexting when heard en mass. Others, like “Your Hands” might just make the listener long for the one who is far away. This is definitely a “must have” album for 2011, and was masterfully done.

Late Nights, Early Mornings receives a PARL

Rating:

P…Horrible
PA…Tolerable
PAR…Good
PARL…Kinda Great
PARLÉ…Classic

Listen to the Marsha Ambrosius Late Nights, Early Mornings album below:

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