Vivian Green’s Vivian: From Jazzy Soul to Hip-Hop Soul in a Single Bound
And while many artists were able to use such a niche to carve out a successful career, and substantial amount of success, for themselves, there were just as many artists who tried the same and saw their ‘neo-soul’ flames flicker out quicker than they ignited. For every Erykah, Jill, and D’Angelo hit remembered, there’s a Pru, Grenique, and Lathun album forgotten.
And somewhere, in the midst of it all, Vivian Green emerged. A 20-something hailing from Philly, Vivian paid her musical dues, landed some background/studio session work, inked a solo deal with Columbia, and in 2002, quietly released her debut, A Love Story. Comprised of Vivian’s lush, jazzily soulful grooves, poetic lyricism, and crystalline vocals, her debut was one of the better, and more unassuming, ‘neo-soul’ albums to come out in that period.
Gaining a surprise hit with the single, “Emotional Rollercoaster”, Vivian quietly made her rounds and shifted a respectable 524,000 units in the process. But just as quietly as she drifted in, she quietly faded back to black without most thinking twice about her.
Since her release, the R&B soundscape has shifted considerably. “Neo-Soul” has been officially declared dead and most artists who emerged during that period have now resigned themselves to just making the best damn, label-less music possible. And Hip-Hop has now become the dominant influence of R&B; minor to major traces of it oozing out of every major, and minor, R&B release populating store shelves today. And now is the time in which Vivian Green decides to return; her vehicle being her 2005 sophomore release, Vivian.
Just as there’s a noticeable difference between today’s R&B sound, and the sound of it just 3 years earlier, there’s a noticeable difference between Vivian’s two albums. Where her first LP had a more bluesy/jazzy finish, her newest project goes to the opposite end of the spectrum and opts for a more, but just as potent, hip-hop texture.
Just look at the album’s opening cuts; Wish We Could Go Back and Mad. Both produced by hip-hop wunderkind, Scott Storch, the two tracks are perfect demonstrations of how much more mature and accomplished Vivian’s music has become while also unintentionally reinforcing my argument that Scott Storch’s at his best producing R&B.
“Go Back” is the perfect groove to begin with; the hip-hop backbeat and taut strings being smoothly accentuated by the jazzy piano breaks and thumping bassline, all creating a crystalline breeze that melts into Vivian’s clear soprano as she reminisces over a love lost that she desires to find again. It has just enough thump to fill the hip-hop/R&B dancefloors while maintaining a smoothness sure to please any and all soul-R&B fans. And “Mad” just ups the ante of brilliance.
The angered acoustic guitar strums bring out the anger in Vivian’s vocals perfectly, as she expresses what scathing disgust she has for the bogus man in her life. The sparseness of the instrumentation surrounding the guitar and Vivian’s vocals is genius, allowing for emphasis to be placed on the song’s emotion instead of drowning it out with unnecessary noise.
Frustrated kicks the brilliance up another notch, this time the brilliance being in the song’s melody and vocal arrangement. Starting off with a mild acoustic guitar and sullen percussion, Vivian’s subtly shaky and frail vocal performance is exceptional, amplifying the uncertainty and nervousness of the situation well, her sounding genuinely scared and unsure of how she’ll move on past such an unhealthy relationship.
Then the hook kicks in; the surging strings understating the swelling confidence in Vivian’s vocals as she slowly gains the strength to stick to her resolve and move on to bigger and better things, climaxing at the bridge where Vivian takes her last stand and carries the song out, head held high. The way the music seemingly empowers Vivian, and hearing her make the mental transformation through the song’s progression, is a perfect testament to the maturity of Vivian’s material and shows just how big a step forward she and her music has taken.
Damn is the afterthought of the 2 previous tracks. Vivian’s removed herself from the unhealthy situation, made a successful transition, and is now enjoying her newfound independence and freedom. The spiteful funk bassline, and skittering-clap percussion highlighting the resilience in Viv’s voice as she acknowledges what could’ve been but informs the unfortunate loser what will never be.
Selfish reinforces her resolve. The chant of ‘you may think I’m selfish. sorry but I can’t help it. gotta do this for me. please don’t beg and plead’ at the beginning works like a mantra that sets the tone for the rest of the song, as Vivian, against the hypnotic backdrop, assures the guy, and subconsciously herself, that for once, she’s doing what’s best for her and her only. The newfound confidence in Vivian’s voice is quite refreshing and again, demonstrates the growth and changes Vivian’s undergone in her 3-year absence.
After making her resolve to remain independent and free, Vivian uses Under My Skin and I Like It (But I Don’t Need It) to reinforce it. “Skin” is a James Poyser creation that harkens back to the jazzy/bluesy sound of Vivian’s debut and shows just how much better Vivian has become at pulling off such a track.
The bongos thrown in the mix add a nice touch but don’t complicate the production proceedings. Same goes for Vivian’s vocal performance. A few ad-libs are dispensed throughout but Vivian mostly maintains a controlled vocal performance throughout, showing how she’s capable of not letting her emotions work her up and get the best of her as they once did.
And “I Like” dispels the myth that she’s miserable and lonely because of being alone. With a spry Crown Heights Affair sample, Vivian sounds ecstatic over her singleness and informs all potential suitors that the last thing on her mind is being tied down to some guy, no matter how ‘single and fabulous’ he might be. The sunny, happy production is beyond infectious and the genuine happiness in Vivian’s vocals puts a much-welcome pep in the album’s step.
And then Vivian comes dangerously close to falling back into old habits via reminiscing with Sweet Memory (Beautifully Young). The sunny, happy-go-lucky production and subject matter is a welcome respite from the album’s core nature and Vivian’s detailed reminisces of love long gone is quite refreshing, as is hearing her sounding genuinely happy when it comes to the subject of love.
But the placement of this track seems kinda odd as Vivian reverts right back to regret, anger, pain and heartbreak, yet resilience, on the next track, and lead single, Gotta Go Gotta Leave (Tired). It’s a rare and tricky move to issue a ballad as the lead single from an album, especially in the club-driven world of R&B today but Vivian was quite smart; expertly releasing a song that plays off both her lyrical and vocal strengths. The simple arrangement again harkens back to the sound of her debut and improves on it, ultimately having a Motown-esque finish. The passion and power of the song lies in Vivian’s vocals as she chews out her deadbeat spouse for slacking and, for the last time, walks away with head held high.
Then uncertainty settles in and Vivian’s left contemplating if, even though she needn’t a man to complete her, being without one is the Perfect Decision. James’ simple yet gorgeous and lush production is a perfect backdrop for Vivian’s split-conscience to duke it out, the vocal arrangements representing the two sides of Vivian’s heart wondering whether or not love is worth it all. It culminates with Vivian dropping a hushed rap on the bridge as she allows the physical to temporarily overpower the visceral, proving we sometimes don’t always get a crystal-clear answer as to what decisions we should make when it comes to love and even if intuition breaks our heart, at least we know we did what we felt was right.
Which is why All About Us sounds even more poignant. Decidedly the album cut with the strongest hip-hop flavor, Vivian adopts a smidge of an attitude as she attacks the unspoken assumptions made about her new relationship, outwardly assuring others but inwardly assuring herself that this time will be different.
Then Vivian just throws all caution and cares out the window on the thumping finale, Sweet Thing. The closest she comes to a club song, in the end, Vivian seems as if the only thing she’s concerned with is her own happiness and whatever contributes to that – be it love, relationships, men, sex, freedom, independence, or music – is just fine with her.
The Outro is a corny but heartfelt tribute from various family and friends to Vivian and the hidden track, Cursed, is definitely a hidden gem sure to please both Vivian’s new listeners and the ones who said she done went and sold her soul to the pop music Devil.
Now let’s make things clear; stylistically, this album is more fresh and modern, and dare I say ‘commercial’, but at the same time, it’s also more mature, advanced and has more depth than its predecessor. Where her debut saw Vivian detailing her ride on the emotional rollercoaster that is ‘love’, this album sees Vivian reveling in her newfound freedom and independence and experiencing her own personal awakening of sorts; realizing there’s more to life than love and that ultimately what matters most is herself.
Comparing and contrasting both of Vivian’s album does a great disservice to both Vivian and the listener. A Love Story and Vivian aren’t comparable because they’re decidedly different releases. The former was a great representation of the current sound of R&B and where Vivian was in her life at that time. But in 3 years, both music and Vivian has changed. Music has expanded its horizons for better and worse and Vivian has become, among many things, a mother. You can’t nor shouldn’t expect her to be the same woman she was then and you certainly couldn’t nor shouldn’t expect her music to be the same.
Ultimately, you might end up hating the woman that Vivian Green’s become but there’s no way you’ll be able to deny that she’s become one helluva woman.
