Nivea

this c.d is the fye it is slick bumpin if you aint got it go get it holla back

this cd sucks except 1 song i thought this cd will be good but it is not

Nivea Hamilton debuted at a time when there was an onslaught of female singers, thus her debut went virtually unnoticed except for her hit single "Don't Mess With My Man". Nivea's self-titled debut took a more hip-hop flavoured approach then many other singers. Nivea packs in quite a few guest aritsts, including Lil Wayne, Nick Cannon and a couple of members of Jagged Edge. True, Nivea does not have the most powerful voice per se, but she and her producers definitely know how to work with her abilities. Unlike most artists who attempt it, the hip-hop style actually works for Nivea though I would not have minded if there were fewer guest artists on this. It's not that they sound bad, there are just a few too many of them.

Nivea starts things off with "Still In Love", a catchy song that shows off Nivea's sweet vocals. The song tells how Nivea is still in love with someone despite any problems they have. It's not particularly original or creative in any way however it gives us a good introduction to Nivea's vocal style. "Ya Ya Ya" features Lil Wayne and a large amount of hip-hop slang. However, unlike with other artists, Nivea pulls it off well making it sound completely natural. It's quite hard to follow what this is supposed to be about but it is a good song nonetheless. Lil Wayne's rap is nothing too special but is a nice addition to the song, as it sounds quite good with Nivea's vocals. The first single, "Don't Mess With My Man", with Brian and Brandon Casey is up next. The song talks about people who try to flirt with Nivea and the Casey brothers' boyfriend and girlfriends respectively and how the three warn them to stay away. The bridge in particular sounds great. ("Girl I'm warning you, if you want my man...").

"The One For Me" is a sweet, slow song about meeting someone who you know immediately is "the one". Nivea sounds extremely sweet in this song and her vocals fit exceptionally with the song. The chorus sounds particularly great to me (vocally) though I am not sure why. This was the first song on the album that Nivea co-wrote and it features an unaccredited male rapper. After that comes my favourite song from this album, "Laundromat" written by and featuring R. Kelly. The two singers perform this as if they were a couple arguing, an effect which sometimes ruins songs. Luckily, it works exceptionally well. Nivea sounds genuinely hurt/angry and her vocals sound great with R Kelly's. "You Don't Even Know" is a more upbeat track has awesome vocals and production even though the lyrics are not the greatest. Nick Cannon's rap is pretty average but isn't enough to really hinder the song. Better yet is Nivea's short rap, which outshines Nick and actually suits her pretty well, though I can't see a full album of it actually sounding good.

"Run Away" is one of my favourites, especially because of Nivea's vocals. The rapper in this one, Pusha T of Clipse, is one of the better guest stars though it is not really him I'm listening to on this song. This song was produced by the Neptunes, and they actually manage to make Nivea sound amazing. Lyrically, it is quite good as well and the chorus in particular is great. ("Said I wanna be with you, why'd you have to go and run away?"). Also, Nivea's verse immediately following the rap sounds incredible. "Just In Case", on the other hand, is decent but not one of the best songs. It talks about Nivea giving a guy her number in case he decides to cheat on his girl later. Despite the poor message, Nivea still manages to make this sound alluring and so it is not nearly as bad as it could have been. "No Doubt" is one of my two least favourite songs on here. Nivea's vocals are on point, and the song is quite sweet and the lyrics are not terrible. However, the chorus is far too repetitive which takes away from the overall quality. "Never Had A Girl Like Me" is another upbeat song, which is incredibly catchy. The bidge in particular sounds great. ("You know you would if you could..."). It is not necessarily memorable, but it is definitely worth a listen.

"Have Mercy" is one of the few slow songs, and it talks about how Nivea asks her man to have mercy on her because she cheated on him. The vocals are beautiful and sweet yet the song is a little too repetitive. Nonetheless, it is far from an awful song and it showcases a softer, more vulnerable side to Nivea. After this comes my least favourite song, "Don't Mess With The Radio". I do not really understand how this was ever released as a single or even how it made the album, as it is repetitive and extremely hard to follow. "25 Reasons" is much better. In it, Nivea goes through a list of twenty-five reasons why she loves her man. It takes a little while to grow on you, but once it does, it will seem incredibly beautiful. Lastly, there is an unnecessary, mediocre remix of "Don't Mess With My Man" which could have been replaced with something more original.

Overall Mark: 4/5

Though the album seems to (as a whole) lose steam towards the end, it is definitely worth a listen. Nivea has a great voice and it is too bad she did not get the exposure that she should have. I wish some of the songs from the re-released version of this album (though I've never heard them) could have been on the original. Nivea is supposed to be releasing a sophomore album in 2005, and if it is anything like this one, it should be exceptional. Nivea needs to lay off the guest stars a little, and let her own talents shine through more often. Otherwise, this is excellent.

We all know the face, and we all know the voice from Mystikal's hit song "Danger!" We were waiting on this album forever and by the time it hit stores, I had forgotten about Miss Nivea. But after picking it up recently, I realized the mistake I made in not picking it up earlier.

Nivea has one of those good down-south country voices that you know had to be honed to perfection. She doesn't have to hit you with all the Mariah Carey-esque notes or the Beyonce' runs and riffs, but she definitely shows her range on this overlooked album.

Even on the faster joints does she really show her vocal ability. Check out the song "Ya Ya Ya", where she opens with an "oooh" that is just so tight in itself. Another reviewer likened it to a flute, and that's the perfect description for it. Also, she kills it in the fast-paced song, with a nice cameo rap from then-boyfriend Lil' Wayne (it's been rumored that they broke up....¿Verdadero o falso?). "Run Away" shows off Nivea's vocal versatility like no other song, where the harmonies and the chorus are quite sick. She even open with part of the chorus that sound tight. Pusha-T from The Clipse actually spits a decent verse in this song, surprisingly. Of course, the club-banger and single "Don't Mess With My Man" really put her in the limelight and should have put her album in the stratosphere. This song is catchy, and had everyone singing it all over the nation. The hook itself is catchy, and Nivea really sounds as if she really went through the whole situation. There is a lot of feeling in this song, which you don't really get to hear in faster songs.

Of course, every soloist should have some ballads on their album, and Nivea does not disappoint in the least. Check out the song "25 Reasons" for some sustenance. Nivea really delivers on this song, which is my favorite on the album. This song sounds like it took one studio session to do, and she really belts out the words in this song toward the end. "I had to catch my breath for a minute...so many emotions coming out in this song, oh. Have you ever loved somebody? Ooh, have you ever loved somebody? Come on ladies help me sang..." That whole part had me really going. Nivea is not playing on this song. lol. "Laundromat" is another good slow number, the "official" second single (from this "re-released album), that is nicely written, minus all the expletives (this album didn't come with a parental advisory warning, surprisingly). Using a laundromat as a metaphor for breaking up with someone is tight, and I can recall hearing plenty of ladies saying "I'm headed to the laundromat" after this song caught heat. Also worth checking out is "Have Mercy", where Nivea is asking for forgiveness in being the bad girl in the relationship. She really sings on this song and the beat is tight as well.

A couple of songs didn't do it for me at all. First, "You Don't Even Know" didn't flow right, and then on top of that had a less than inspiring appearance from Nick Cannon, someone who I don't even consider a great lyricist (stick to acting, little boy). Second, "Don't Mess With the Radio" should never have been released as a single, because it's not catchy nor does it sound interesting, even after listening to it like eight times. Finally, the "Don't Mess With My Man" remix wasn't even really a remix, and it was definitely filler. It should have been left off for more of Nivea's songs from her unreleased album, like "Cat's Got Your Tongue", "Problems", or the tight song "Check Your Man" featuring Mystikal.

All in all, Nivea really didn't disappoint with this album. It's a shame that this album didn't get the airplay it needed, but that was by fault of Jive, who focuses more on teeny-bopper pop music from whitebread artists. Jive took too long to put this alubm out, and still released singles way after the older ones had been forgotten. Hopefully, with her upcoming second album, Nivea can get into the spotlight again this-go-round.

Nivea has such a high and sweet vocal range, I can't beleive she hasn't made another album. Her songs have nice melodeys and are very entertaining. I remeber in one song, Ya Ya Ya, at the beginning Nivea starts with an oooooooohhh... and at first I though it was a flute until I heard her take a breath. Her voice is that good.

I have always liked Nivea and love her Complicated album alot! She has been a favorite of mine since she first stepped on the scene with "Don't Mess with My Man," and "Laundromat."

This album is a slight improvement over Nivea's debut, her vocal performance is strong on a few tracks but overall mediocre lyrics and recycled beats created too may filler-ish type tracks and nothing really memorable to help Nivea carve out a niche in the r&b/hip/pop female division.

I agree with a previous poster that R. Kelly seems to give Nivea his throw-away tracks and hope that she can improve her writing skills and/or work with writers & producers who can come up with songs that can better showcase her voice and catchier hooks/beats to capture listeners attention.

The tracks that I liked solely for the musical arrangements & beats are: INDIAN DANCE; PARKING LOT & OKAY.

IT'S ALL GOOD is a nice up-beat track that makes the best presentation of her vocals; GANGSTA GIRL - I really like this track, especially the guitar riffs & SO FAR - her airy, light vocal performance really sounds great on this track.

Nivea has such an incredible voice and her songs are awesome.
I love the song "Complicated". It has to be one of her best songs yet. I never really listened to Nivea before. My taste in music has completely changed now, and she's who I listen to most lately. Great album, fantastic songs, incredible singer.
=)

No words can express how i feel about this album. her self debut album was hott already but she really put her heart and soul into this album. It should of been better promoted but what can u do.

My top 5 fav songs

So Far
Okay(red cup remix)
complicated
I can mess with you
Indian Dance

First Of let me say that i've been a nivea fan since day one. I have both of her cd's and i love them complicated really seems like she put her heart in this cd. I think that the best songs on the cd are:

Complicated
Okay
Parking Lot
I Can't mess with you
Breathe
Quicke
No More
Okay Remix
So Far

So as you see i think the majority of the songs are good but im not a fan of all. but definatly worth the time

I am a 30 year old white male who comes from rural PA. I can be found at Def Leppard and Poison concerts every summer. But when it comes to dance/r&b/hip-hop, there are only a few singers I typically like, mainly the big names like Kanye West and Mary J. Blige. However, I accidentally stumbled upon this album on an mp3 site and I was instantly addicted. The song "Trapstar" is amazing, and the title track opener is a driving, aggressive bass-heavy beat. Tracks 7-11 are all pretty much great, also. There is nothing not to like about Nivea, she can be sweet at times and sassy at other times, her voice is amazing and she is drop dead gorgeous. This import is a little expensive, but you can preview a few tracks on her myspace, and you will see, it is worth a few extra bucks. This natural talent can deliver the goods with passion and conviction, and it lives up to its title.

Late last year, I discovered that Nivea released this album in Japan. Being a big fan of hers, I almost ordered it, but I heard news that she would release it in the United States around February. So I waited and soon March came and still nothing, so I ordered this on a whim.

This album is actually not that bad at all. It has a predominant crunk & B style. It's not her best, but I still don't regret the purchase. There are definitely some great songs on here. Sometimes the production and songwriting get a little bland, and I really don't care for the raps of her husband, Dream. So... if you're a Nivea fan, definitely buy this. If you're not, try and find some samples before the purchase. I'm not sure if it will be worth it for you. (It's not that bad of a price for a Japanese import, though. Most of them are $40+.)

I thought this was a great effort on Nivea's behalf. Her sound definitely matured and it's great to hear something different instead of the same old sound from women. The beats you would expect from a rapper and she can hold her own over the music. I think the new sound would suit her better than the other stuff she was putting out. She needs to release it in America, though.

Nivea is definitely an under-rated artist. With the release of her debut eponymous album, she was introduced to spotlight with her hit single "Don't Mess With My Man." The other singles from the album were not able to enjoy as much success and only two were supported by music videos. She came back in 2005 with the release of her sophomore album, Complicated, which didn't enjoy nearly the success it deserved. "Okay" was the only single from the album and it peaked at a moderate position of #40. Animalistic has now been released in Japan only with a release date in the U.S. slated to be sometime in 2007. Onto the review... Animalistic is definitely shows Nivea's ability to shine.

The album opens with the very catchy title track Animalistic. This is one of the best songs on the album. I immediatelly fell in love with the chorus as she says "I'm animalistic, smearin my lipstick, stretched like a gymnist, you better bring the jungle in the room cause I'm a bring the lion in the room." The thing about this song, Nivea has a drawl on her words. She stretches out certain words but it's not in an annoying way. The beats are hot and compliment her voice very well. However, it sounds more like she's talking or doing a Cassie-rap thing instead of singing. We then move onto first single in Japan entitled "Watch It." This is another highlight on the album and was the first new material I heard from Nivea. I was surprised to see that Nivea is now swearing on her album. She drops the "n-word" and the "s-word" but it's not that big of a deal. Once again, she has hot beats and this time, she sounds more like she's singing. While Nivea's voice isn't that powerful, she sings in her comfort zone, which is all people can ask. The video is sort of low-budget but I like it. I don't think this single would have faired very well in the U.S. but I do think it would deserve to. "Trapstar" is the next track and is pretty good. It features a guest appearance from an unknown rapper (which the album does more than once). This one is pretty catchy and I wouldn't be surprised if she kept this one from the U.S. release of the album. Once again, Nivea doesn't have the greatest voice but if there is a track to showcase her voice, this would be it. She sings higher than audiences are used to when she is vocalizing. "Serious" is an average-sounding track. It's not one of her standout tracks but it's definitely worth listening to. "Black Girl (Loose In Miami)" is another good track. The beginning is killer as Nivea goes through a little list of different types of girls during the chorus (black girl, white girl, mixed girl...). The chorus is probably the catchiest part of the song while the verses lack the "Nivea magic." Butterfly (All Of Me)" is the pretty song on the album. It serves as THE ballad on the album. It's not the only one but it's the best. She should keep this one or record some new ballads that will fit better. "Ooh La La" brings us back to the fire. This song finds Nivea asking boys if they can "make the girl go ooh la la la la." Once again, the chorus is killer but the verses fall short. Despite this, the song is still hot and would make a good single. "Get Your X" is definitely the fire highlight of the album. The verses and the chorus are on point. Nivea does drop the "s-word" more than a couple times but it's okay. Nivea tells a boy to "get [his] x" before she gets her herself. This should be the next single. "I.L.Y." is another ballad of sorts that is okay. It's not her strongest material and the beats aren't great. Her voice sounds nice though, so that brings the song up.

There were only three songs that I consider "subpar." "Tell Me She's Nothin'" does not impress me. I feel a sort of pop-rock vibe from it and Nivea's voice is better suited for R&B/Hip-Hop songs. "Once I'm Gone" and "Georgia" just are fillers. I won't even say anything about them.

When Nivea releases the album in the U.S. in 2007, some songs will be taken off and new ones will be added. A track entitled "Hood Girl" is set to be the first singe and features the amazing Lil' Kim. I can't wait to hear it. It is true that this album doesn't give Nivea much versatility like Complicated did and her vocals aren't as showcased as they should be, but Nivea is working really hard and I respect her for it.

Top Tracks (In Album Order):

Animalistic
Watch It
Trapstar
Ooh La La
Get Your X

If she continues to do music like this I would have to say so. It is no wonder you rarely hear anything from her these days. She has failed to produce a solid hit on this album and her material has definitely gone downhill. I thought her last album had a few decent cuts, but felt like if she worked with R. Kelly a little more he would be able to produce more good songs for her that really complimented her voice such as Laundromat. I really tried to give this cd a chance but there is nothing that catches my attention on here. I would really love to see Nivea do something great with her music career but this album has got to be one of the worst I have heard in the past few years. Hopefully, if she does another album she will really work with some people that can really bring that true singer out of her and show everyone what she has to offer the music industry.

"Don't Mess With The Radio" is a great way to start off with her first single, but "Don't Mess With My Man" Whoa!!! That was a exelent wat to get back off and start the second single featuring Brian & Brandon Casey of "Jagged Edge". I recently purchased both the CD Single "Don't Mess With My Man" and her self-titled CD "Nivea". They are both very, very exelent and the single is blazin'. The CD Single comes with 2 versions (Main, Version 2) tracks, and 2 videos. It is worth buying, if you do, enjoy listening to it, 'cuase I know I did. Also, make sure you buy the enchanced CD Single.

Tracks:
1. Don't Mess With My Man (main)* (3:35)
2. Dont Mess With My Man (Version 2) (3:35)

Videos:
Don't Mess With My Man (3:35)
Don't Mess With The Radio (4:00)

i likes this song. when i first heard it i was like damn. this song is off the chain. i didnt know thats ahe was a child until i had seen it on tv. i was like no way this cant be a 14 year old child. she can really sang. if u havent heard this song then u should go and get it. she us very taltented and she need to keep up thr good work.

I Think That The Songs On This Single are a Great Choice For Him To Do.I Love It Alot.His new album Chapter 1...Josh Scribner was Supposed to be out already but won't be relesed until August I think.I Feel Really Bad For Him Because he had a Crush On This Guy Named Josh Scribner I Heard and Josh Got Nick In Huge Trouble for Likeing Him.I Think that Josh Should apologize.

track listing:

1.Leave
2.Leave (Instrumental)
3.What About Us? (Snippet)
4.I Thought that U were Toxic (Snippet)

5.Josh Scribner (interlude)

The radio D.J Played it then I cought the video once then I seen the single it's tight but the track were listed wrong. But great single.

I recently went on a school trip where we visited france and germany, in germany I heard this song and i thought it was brilliant! I have been looking for it everywhere, and i am so glad i have actually found it!!!!!!!! This song RULES!

Nivea is new of course at Jive Records. Jive is a very good record company that is behind lots of best selling music. Nivea just might be the next. "Don't Mess With The Radio" is a great song that is very catchy & by the chorus, you'll be bopping your head & singing along even if you don't know the words. A great track, definetly a great single. Plus, you get the instrumental & 6 snippets from her upcoming debut self-titles album. 9/10

not bad, not bad at all.nivea might be around for awhile.

Nivea's "Don't Mess With the Radio" is a great song, but not the best. I like pop music, and I first saw her music video on Mtv. I went out and bought the single, and I really like it. So for all you pop listeners out there, get this single!

Nivea is not very recognized but she sings cool!!! He have a duet with Mystikal in the song: "Danger(Been So Long)". She sings so good and he is the best.