Brandy on her new album and outlook

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

"I'm reinventing myself and I feel fearless," Brandy told Rolling Stone.Brandy is hard at work on her sixth albumShe recently wrapped the video for her first single, a duet with MonicaSinger-songwriter Frank Ocean is also contributing to her new project

(Rolling Stone) -- It's been four years since Brandy released her last album "Human" and many things have changed, including her.

"I'm reinventing myself and I feel fearless," Brandy told Rolling Stone. "I haven't done R&B in a very long time. This album is rooted in R&B. The sound is different, it's about love. It's mature, it's gritty, it's edgy."

The former teen star and mother of one is hard at work on her sixth album and recently wrapped the video for her first single, a duet with Monica called "It All Belongs To Me." This is first time the two have recorded together since their 1998 Grammy Award winning hit, "The Boy Is Mine."

"Monica and I have a bond as women and as mothers, working with her doesn't feel like work," Brandy says. "Chris Robinson directed the video and we're both in dysfunctional relationships. We're helping each other through both situations, it's sort of like a 'Thelma & Louise,' girl empowerment video."

Recruiting producers like Rico Love, who wrote and produced "It All Belongs To Me," Jim Jonsin, Danja, Timbaland, Chris Brown and longtime collaborator Rodney Jerkins, Brandy's also seeing what two Canadians have to offer.

"I heard the song that Drake did and I loved it," Brandy says of working with the Cash Money MC and his primary producer Noah "40" Shebib. "I haven't recorded it yet but I'm looking forward to it because it's such a great melody and the beat is nice. It's a vibe that I haven't dipped into and I think the fans would get a kick out of hearing my voice over a record like that. I'm not sure if Drake's going to be on it but I'm a huge fan of his. His melodies are beautiful, I like the way I sound in the shower singing his songs."

Singer-songwriter Frank Ocean is also contributing to her new project, and according to Brandy, their relationship is more than just professional.

"He's like a little brother to me," Brandy says. "He wrote a song called 'Scared of Beautiful' about women who are afraid to be beautiful in their full potential as women. I've been there before so I know a lot of women can relate."

Despite moving from her initial record label home Atlantic to Epic and now RCA, Brandy says she finally feels supported.

"RCA reminds me of how Atlantic used to be, they really believed in my vision as an artist when they signed me at 14," she shares. "RCA welcomed me and Breyon Prescott and Peter Edge showed such passion for what I wanted to do."

See the full article at Rolling Stone.

Copyright © 2011 Rolling Stone.

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Giants' Pierre-Paul has right outlook

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Some may think New York Giants young defensive end Jason Paul is foolish for providing the top-seeded and defending Super Bowl board material by guaranteeing a victory in this weekend's NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Lambeau Field.

Others might believe the disposition of the rising defender was spot on.

"We're going to win," Pierre-Paul said following the Giants' triumph over Atlanta in this past Sunday's playoff opener. "One hundred percent we're going to win, because we're the best."

What else is Pierre-Paul going to say? How would his teammates, coaches and the media react had he said the opposite? Joe Namath, Mark Messier and Jim Fassel are just a few examples of players or coaches who have pledged victory for their respective teams, and Pierre-Paul simply became the latest to join the list with his bold statement.

Over the past month, the Giants have resembled a nasty bunch of players who are on a mission much like in the 2007 playoffs, when they needed to dispose of a Brett Favre-led Packers team on a cold night in Wisconsin to reach the Super Bowl. They have played superb in winning four of five outings since a four-game losing streak from Nov. 13-Dec. 4 and steamrolled the Falcons, 24-2, in their Wild Card-Round matchup.

Pierre-Paul, who recorded a career-high and team-best 16 1/2 sacks in the regular season, had eight tackles versus Atlanta. He ended the regular season with a sack in each of the last four games, totaling six in that span, but did not get to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a 38-35 loss at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 4.

Rogers and the Packers' offense will surely be a stiffer challenge than the Falcons for New York's defense, which is led by its dominating front line of Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, Chris Canty and Osi Umenyiora. All eyes will be on Pierre-Paul for this anticipated showdown, however, though the second-year talent out of South Florida has taken a step back from his previous claim of an absolute Giants win.

"If the defense, offense, special teams, we all do our jobs and execute it on Sunday, we should win," a more reserved Pierre-Paul told New York radio station WFAN on Tuesday.

Pierre-Paul added that he is not going to twist his words around and was simply reacting after an exciting finish versus the Falcons. People tend to say things when emotions run high, and Pierre-Paul's demeanor was probably meant to be more of an uplifting compliment to his team rather than a knock on Green Bay. He was not punished for his comments, which may come as a surprise since head coach Tom Coughlin is a "no nonsense" kind of guy.

Coughlin is more concerned with how his players perform than what is said on the airwaves, however.

"I just think that we also have done a better job underneath, and that was an issue for us in terms of pattern reads, identification, recognition of who is where and doing a better job with a lot of the checkdowns," Coughlin said on Monday of his defense's performance. "There were a couple [Sunday] that were open, but by in large we have done a better job of that. We are just playing better coverage and we are playing the rush better, let's put it that way."

New York's defense is averaging just 10 points allowed over the last three games, and shutting down opposing quarterbacks has been its calling card. Rodgers is unlike most quarterbacks in the NFL, however, and had his way with the Giants' secondary in the first meeting just over a month ago, passing for 369 yards with four touchdown strikes and one interception. He was sacked twice in that one, with Tuck and reserve end Dave Tollefson each getting to the All-Pro. Pierre-Paul had three tackles and also batted down a pair of pass attempts, and Umenyiora was not active due to an ankle injury.

With New York's big guns on the defensive front at full strength for round two of this matchup, the trash-talking will go by the wayside to make room for those who can back it up. Pierre-Paul has been waiting for almost a week now to prove that his words weren't just to sell papers, but to solidify his belief that the Giants are the better team.

Come Sunday night, the nation will know.

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