Keyshia Cole - Point Of No Return (2014) flac

Tracklist:

[2:54] 01. Keyshia Cole - Intro (Last Tango)
[4:00] 02. Keyshia Cole - Heat Of Passion
[4:14] 03. Keyshia Cole - N. L. U
[3:34] 04. Keyshia Cole - Next Time (Won't Give My Heart Away)
[4:12] 05. Keyshia Cole - Rick James
[2:57] 06. Keyshia Cole - New Nu
[3:44] 07. Keyshia Cole - She
[3:35] 08. Keyshia Cole - Believer
[3:35] 09. Keyshia Cole - Love Letter
[4:50] 10. Keyshia Cole - Party Ain't A Party
[5:00] 11. Keyshia Cole - Remember (Part 2)

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AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman
Keyshia Cole has built a career on writing about emotional pain inflicted by her lovers. She takes it to her most explicit level yet on Point of No Return. The dark tone of her sixth album is set immediately with an EKG-like effect in the intro, which leads to "Heat of Passion," a sprawling ballad where Cole details her man's tryst and spits, "All that over some funk-ass pussy." She defiantly offers "I ain't catchin' no cases," only to later threaten, "Somebody better call the paramedic." There are points where it sounds like Cole is shaking. The song is so intense that background vocalist Faith Evans' support seems like it could be emotional as much as it is musical. Later in the album, Cole shows more of her combative side by comparing herself to Rick James and, perhaps unknowingly, through a reference to James' "Cold Blooded," Linda Blair. For all her vulnerability, Cole also reminds listeners that she's a boss who will tolerate only so much, and she continues to project defiant resilience. The lack of loose and uptempo moments, and the nondescript quality of back-to-back productions from the otherwise bankable Mike WiLL and DJ Mustard, make the album a stifling and leaden listen. Even the one song Cole didn't co-write, the sleek and booming slow jam "Believer" -- cooked up by StarGate, Ester Dean, and Jasper Cameron -- has undertones of danger and desperation. While Point of No Return is unfiltered Keyshia Cole, much of it consists of retraced and magnified steps. Hooks are fewer and less sharp, concealed by coarser language. It's the kind of album -- released past the peak of popularity, specific in lyrical detail, with nothing remotely near a crossover bid like "Let It Go" or "Heaven Sent" -- that seems destined to become a fan favorite.