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- Critic score
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Mar 18, 2011On its own merits, F.A.M.E. deserves to be heard.
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Mar 31, 2011The easier-but not exactly wiser-route for Brown would've been to take jabs at those who turned their backs on him, but his tactic here seems to give listeners a solid album.
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Mar 22, 2011This all makes F.A.M.E. the equal of Forever, if not slightly better, and it hints that Brown's best is yet to come.
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Mar 21, 2011So, while he fails to reward those fans who are everything to him with a great collection of pop-RnB, Brown at least gives them reason to believe.
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Mar 22, 2011All of it is done capably, even superbly in some cases, though F.A.M.E. also feels strained and sometimes downright desperate. That said, there's no denying he pulls off some neat coups.
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Aug 4, 2011This album is about keeping Brown relevant and making the musical man child marketable again, and on that level it's a moderate success. He's still got a long way to go before he regains his previous stature.
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Mar 22, 2011F.A.M.E. is a pop 'n' b album with something for everyone: bedroom ballads, dance-floor thumpers and even "Next 2 You," a puppy-love declaration with guest vocals by Justin Bieber.
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Mar 24, 2011Sadly but predictably, it really isn't until the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition, when he drops a Bomb with Wiz Khalifa, that you ponder how Mr. Black and Yellow has hooked up with Mr. Black and Blue, and then you remember what's been hiding in plain sight throughout the entire album.
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Mar 22, 2011On F.A.M.E.'s effervescent slow jams and up-tempo R&B struts, Brown makes a solid case for himself as an adult artist. He inevitably falls flat, though, when he tries to reclaim his teen-idol mantle on oversold ballads.
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Apr 21, 2011If you already didn't like Brown – he would classify you as a "hater" – this album's combination of lewd (Wet The Bed, No Bullshit) and saccharine (Next 2 You, Should've Kissed You) content, delivered in that gross, oozing cadence of his, will only aggravate you further.
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Mar 23, 2011The album, taken as a whole, is remarkably disjointed, because eight of the 13 songs on it have been written with the intention of dominating a different corner of music land.
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Mar 22, 2011Mr. Brown sings, with a modicum of angst [on "Up To You"]. But for much of this album--almost the whole second half, actually--Mr. Brown is chasing Usher with a ferocity out onto the dance floor, where no one will pay much mind to his words.
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Mar 22, 2011Brown needs to bring the undeniable every time. Unfortunately that's not what he's done with this middling fourth album. Instead, only a handful of tracks truly showcase Brown's strengths.
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Mar 21, 2011F.A.M.E. is equal parts bubblebath boudoir soul and more bullish beat-driven floor-fillers, tricked out with familiar guests like Timbaland and Justin Bieber, the most lively of which is Busta Rhymes's babble-rap over the Clangers-style bleeps of "Look at Me Now".
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Apr 18, 2011F.A.M.E. will satisfy 12 year Malibu and Miami beach frequenters, but anyone with a soul should steer far clear of this mess.
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Apr 5, 2011F.A.M.E. is a vile, despicable album that doesn't deserve to be supported in any way, shape or form. Its very existence is a frightening indictment of our times, in terms of our attitudes to music, women and the cult of celebrity.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 53 out of 106
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Mixed: 14 out of 106
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Negative: 39 out of 106
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Mar 22, 2011
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Mar 23, 2011
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Mar 23, 2011