I have to say that this didn't get off on the right foot with me. The cover isn't my favorite at all. She had been teasing us with some really awesome and sexy mockups and promo pictures for months about this album, and this was the end result. I believe it could have been better and less Britney meets Ke$ha, but what can you do? Also the opening track, "DJT" left a lot to be desired. I know what she was trying to do, but the phone conversations went on for too long, and serving as an intro, it fell flat.
Luckily things don't stay on a low note for long. "Unchoose You" is all about picking the wrong man and wanting to go back on the past. This is the Aubrey I was wanting. This is the Aubrey I saw in all of those promo singles she gave us over the past few years. I love that she doesn't use vocal effects except when they add to the feel of the song. She makes sure you know she can sing -- and damned if she isn't one of the best vocalists out in pop music currently. There's a reason she was chosen for Danity Kane, and she's not afraid to prove it.
If there was one song that swayed me in one way or another between just liking the album and being in love, its the next track. "Love Me When You Leave" is more than just a club banger. This may be a bit harder than what you'd hear on the radio, but it mixes different genres of electronic music on top of being incredibly addictive. It's much more techno than I'd come to expect from her, but it really works. I want Aubrey to make this kind of music all of the time. It's chorus is mostly vocal free, except for a few bits repeated under heavy vocal effects, but it simply works. This song is the strongest of the group and most single ready. If any of these songs are getting a video, it needs to be this one.
Keeping with this new turn of events with being electronic, we pick it up with a more traditional sounding track for the genre. "Let Me Lay" has the classic buildup in the verses until the big reveal of the chorus, which is far more tame than the song before it. I do like the slower feel of the song while still staying firmly in her new genre. She also demonstrates her lower vocal range, which sounds scarily close to her limits, but she stays strong without sounding too forced. The song seems to be a commentary on her life in the spotlight, as she talks about wanting to get back to the old way of things, claiming that "reality is overrated". Is this a stab at her old shows? Who knows, but at least whatever experience it was, it makes for a catchy song.
The electro-pop train continues onto the next song. I'd expected a ballad slipped in here somewhere, but she's not slowing down at all. "Hurts So Good" is a much more abrasive song than fans of O'Day may be used to. She starts out the song saying you should be killed, and follows it up by dropping a few curse words along the way. This is one of the most relatable songs in the set, being about a dysfunctional relationship where she knows he could care less about her, but she thrives off the pain it causes. Honestly I don't know what warps our minds to want what we can't have, but the lyrics here hit the nail on the head.
"Before I Drown" is a bit of a lower note for the album. I feel like this was more left over from things she recorded around the time of "Wrecking Ball" last year. I say this because it has a stronger rock influence, and it feels like they added in the electronic elements after the fact. I think this might have been placed here to fill out the album. It's not a bad song, it has a lot of emotion behind it, but it just doesn't fit in with the vibe of the rest of this work.
Finally with the track "Second Call" we get what I'd been waiting for this entire time. While not exactly a ballad, its more of what I was expecting form this release. She slows it down, gives it an R&B style beat, and moves to focusing fully on the vocals. The subject matter of the song is a bit shady, talking about a guy she has on the backburner in case her first draft pick lets her down. I know it's something a lot of people do, but it isn't exactly something I'd wanna sing about. The track musically and vocally is a masterpiece. Plus she has phone sex in the middle. Awkward.
Dear God yes! The track "Devil And Me" is a great way to round out the album. This is a true ballad, and it's what I was hoping to find on this album. She puts so much soul into her slower songs that sometimes get lost in the pop process for the more upbeat tracks. While this song isn't a club banger, it will definitely let anyone who listens know that she isn't just a bunch of after effects. She has talent, and she's not afraid to use it.
There's also an outro, but it's nothing special.
Aubrey kept us all waiting so long for this album that I was thinking it might never happen. She started working on solo material not long after the DK breakup, and even had her own show where she recorded seemingly non-stop. Well it's finally here, and it's just what I wanted. I can see why "Wrecking Ball" wasn't included due to the major stylistic change, and it had been a long while since "Automatic", so all of the material is new.
My main concern for Between Two Evils is that she just announced she was getting back with Danity Kane to produce new music. That's all good and well -- I love Danity Kane with all my heart -- but she put a lot of time and energy into making a great album, and with her focusing elsewhere I'm afraid this album may go unsupported. I was expecting a big tour, some music videos, and maybe even a physical release, but it may all be for naught. Maybe she'll perform solo during an upcoming DK tour, or do her own solo thing in the downtime, but it does seem like a waste to toss this out and have it quickly overlooked.
You can grab the album currently on iTunes!
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