On the eve of Sunday, September 13, a seemingly ethereal creature strolled the red carpet of the MTV Video Music Awards. She stood with swagger; hair draped revealing a semi-buzz cut, her mile-long legs emerging from a Kimono-inspired mini dress.
The female in question is singer Cassie Ventura. If the stars had aligned in the popstar universe, Cassie would have been arriving at the VMAs for a clean sweep of Moonmen for the videos from her sophomore album, Electro Love.
Instead, she was just there.
There is no Electro Love (the album has been continually pushed back since its original third quarter 2008 release) and all three singles released in support of the album (one featuring Lil’ Wayne, one featuring Diddy and one featuring Akon ‘-‘- phew!) have all failed to ignite Cassie’s rocket to diva-dom.
Rewind to 2006 when the 20-year-old, New London, Conn. native blew up the charts with her debut single, ‘Me & U.’ The song became a bona fide summer anthem, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Three years go by and Cassie’s initial chart success has yet to be duplicated, but from the sound of most of the 20 or so leaked songs from the Electro sessions making the rounds on the internet, Cassie could potentially have an album that would send Beyonc’eacute; and her leotard running back to Texas.
With Ryan Leslie, the man behind ‘Me & U’ and the majority of Cassie’s debut out of the picture, the Electro sessions read like a who’s who in the world of it-producers.
Highlights include ‘Stamina,’ a throbbing slice of electronic-R&B produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, on which Cassie teases, ‘Baby, if you’re lonely / Follow me and don’t forget the room key.’ There’s also the old-school sounding ‘Keep On Lovin’ Me,’ a modern take on the classic boy/girl, back-and-forth duet produced by and featuring The-Dream.
Some of the earlier leaks even caught the attention of British newspaper The Guardian, which ran an article in late 2008 titled ‘Cassie’s unreleased classic.’ Citing tracks like ‘Turn The Lights Off’ and ‘In Love With The DJ,’ the article said that ‘Cassie’s ice-queen delivery perfectly capture a physical state of subsumption’ and if the album had actually been released ‘it would be an easy contender for album of the year.’
Cassie might not have a particularly ‘big’ voice, but it’s her ‘ice-queen delivery’ that sets her apart. It’s the vocal disconnect in her delivery that makes her music so sexy. She’s luring us to her bed, yet she sounds so disinterested in doing so.
The fate of the album is currently in the hands of the just-released single ‘Let’s Get Crazy.’ Produced by GaGa hitmaker, RedOne, and featuring Akon, the song is the most in-your-face track Cassie has ever released and might be the song that propels Cassie back into the charts where she belongs.
If anything, perhaps the Electro Love debacle is simply a case of art imitating life. Cassie’s made a career of being a tease on record and now it’s her record that is being the tease.
It’s me and you, now, Electro Love. I’ve been waiting.
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Sounds like you taken care of business congrats. I just became an intern at UCANFLYHLD. its Kevin Blacks lable..but theres been somthing about you that’s been on my mind lately…. dont kno if this gets to you or not.. but yd1fantasy@yahoo.com hit to here my question…..