Yummy Bingham: The First Seed
Yummy Bingham is the godchild of soul diva Chaka Khan and Aaron Hall
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Monday, 16, Oct 2006 01:49
Universal Records, out now.
In a nutshell.
Slick, booty-shaking, pumping, sweet, formulaic
What's it all about?
Featuring some slick production and the occasional flash of refreshing vocals, The First Seed is the debut album from Yummy Bingham, hotly tipped to be the next big talent in r 'n' b. Kicking off the 15-track album is her first single Come Get It, featuring a horn intro which builds an expectation before the vocals set in, and makes the listener sit up and pay attention. And they do not disappoint. The fantastic underlying drum beat, along with the obligatory guest rapper section have made this a huge r 'n' b dancefloor filler and sparked expectation in the industry that a new diva is on the scene.
Just Leave continues with a heavy beat, but is a much mellower offering with sweet vocal harmonies reminiscent of Destiny's Child which allow the chanteuse to show off her voice. In I Don't Really, Yummy's vocal style becomes more Erykah Badu-esque with a no-frills arrangement, until the usual three-part harmonies kick in and we have a Destiny's Child album track once again.
The raw sound of Is It Good to You shows a more edgy side to the otherwise saccharine-voiced Yummy and is one of the highlights of the album, most of the songs on which were penned by the singer herself.
Who's it by?
Elizabeth "Yummy" Bingham is a veteran of the r 'n' b music world. While The First Seed is her debut solo effort, following a brief stint in girl trio Tha Rayne, the young star has already worked with some of the biggest names in the genre, including De La Soul, Boyz II Men, Patti Labelle and Queen Latifah. Not bad considering she's only 20. The godchild of soul diva Chaka Khan and Aaron Hall, Yummy has also penned the lyrics to songs by Amerie, Mary J Blige, JC Chasez and Beyonce, among other well-known r 'n' b names.
With the experience she already has in the music industry, The First Seed should be of a higher quality than the albums of the homogenous female r 'n' b vocalists who burst on to the scene only to sink away into obscurity again once the British public realise that they've heard it all before. Yummy's first album will be a success only of it gives the listener something different and only time will tell whether UK r 'n' b will embrace it.
As an example.
"Oh Crazy days and selfish ways are what we live through, and I'll only share them with you. No-one would ever accept me like you do."
"Got enough goods to feed the whole world. I got more riches than diamonds and pearls."
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
The musical influences and connections any up-and-coming star would kill for, as well as her young age, should have seen Yummy as a surefire bet for a Grammy nomination at least. But with all the hype surrounding the singer, the US music bigwigs might weigh up The First Seed and find it wanting.
What the others say.
"On Come Get It, Yummy sounds far from delicious wailing like a five-year-old. Thankfully our eardrums are rescued from the squeaking by a rolling military drum beat and solid rap from Jadakiss." - Chocolate Magazine
So is it any good?
Considering the hype surrounding this new talent, The First Seed should be better than it is. Come Get It is fantastic and perhaps is the main reason why those in the music industry have been very expectant of what the young singer has to offer. Much in the same way as Crazy In Love, its great bass line, brass intro and rap section slotted in, make it a great diva-esque song. It's nearly as good as Beyonce's effort.
The rest of the album however is a let down, perhaps due to the high expectations. It does best in its up-tempo variations on Come Get It, such as Is It Good To You. The occasional mellow, slow songs are good easy-listening tracks, but are unlikely to drive the listener to want to hear them over and over again.
Several of the songs on The First Seed are too formulaic to be remembered, much like many of the efforts of recent young, female r 'n' b starlets.
Despite the disappointments, the album is still a good effort from a singer-songwriter who is still just 20 years old. She's still the one to watch, but it may take time for Yummy to develop her own distinctive style. In the meantime, it seems that r 'n' b is still waiting for a young chanteuse to rival the dominance of Beyonce, Christina Milian, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera.
6/10
Chine Mbubaegbu