Cassie: The new Ciara?

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Well, I was bored and was flicking through radio stations and I heard this really spacy, sort of Gary Numan-esque r&b song. Way awesome. So I did some resarch, and it's called "Me & U" by this newcome named Cassie.

http://www.cassieworld.com/

The other songs on her site are great as well. Her voice is pretty thin, but the production quite great.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Saturday, 13 May 2006 01:29 (7 years ago) Permalink

i got home from a party last night at 3 am after having sold $140 worth of found books back the college bookstore with friends and smoking weed for hours, going first to a party that was remotely broadcast live on the radio, and then to see the (excellent) david bowie cover band, and 'me & u' sounded great.

― ell eff, Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:46 (7 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, when I first heard this on the radio...I told a car full of friends to all shut the fuck up or get out.
Great tune.

― astronautagogo (astronautagogo), Monday, 15 May 2006 01:30 (7 years ago) Permalink

ooh i will have to check out her other songs - i've had 'me & u' since last summer and it's incredible.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 15 May 2006 07:39 (7 years ago) Permalink

she didn't remind me so much of ciara as teairra marí.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 15 May 2006 07:39 (7 years ago) Permalink

lovin it.

― pisces (piscesx), Wednesday, 17 May 2006 09:20 (7 years ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

beautiful - when that hooky synth in "me and you" kicks in, it reminds me of the welcome back kotter theme.

― gaseous (gaseous), Monday, 12 June 2006 20:52 (6 years ago) Permalink

My favorite song that's currently on the radio!

(sorry, E-40)

― naus (Robert T), Monday, 12 June 2006 21:53 (6 years ago) Permalink

nice song

― Guy Incognito (Guy Incognito), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 02:29 (6 years ago) Permalink

Wha? It's on Bad Boy?!

― naus (Robert T), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 04:28 (6 years ago) Permalink

The first thing this thread made me think of was this:

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 04:57 (6 years ago) Permalink

"Me and U" is really good but I feel like it's still kind of a pale imitation of "Don't Cha."

― 31g (31g), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 05:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

It is, but it's also awesome. And as Dontcha is now Heineken, Me and U will suffice.

― js (honestengine), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 11:08 (6 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Surprisingly, the entire album is excellent (and really short)! She doesn't have a very strong voice, but she's got tons of charisma, and the production is all-around excellent. I hope she stays around for a while.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Thursday, 3 August 2006 07:01 (6 years ago) Permalink

I hope this is good! The bass in the chorus of "Me & U" is the best sound ever.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 3 August 2006 07:11 (6 years ago) Permalink

i'd love to hear the album - i'm completely obsessed with cassie's voice right now. she goes to such an extreme of eschewing melisma, there's this incredibly alluring combination of blankness/sadness/dread/disinterest, shifting between these according to the lyrics, which she enunciates really precisely.

i really love the follow-up single too, 'long way 2 go' - "i know you wanna meet me/cos your girlfriend wanna be me"

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 3 August 2006 08:29 (6 years ago) Permalink

this thread needs to be a lot longer than it is!

each summer for the past few years, there's been one sparse, simple, understated, almost nothingy r&b single amidst the massive summer bangers - 'never leave you', 'move ya body', 'pon de replay'. obviously 'me & u' is a lot darker (she sounds almost scared in it, like she's spent so much time planning this bedroom liaison with military precision - clipped vocals, everything rigorously in place - and now she doesn't quite know what to do)

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 3 August 2006 08:31 (6 years ago) Permalink

It's my second favourite song of the year.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 3 August 2006 08:34 (6 years ago) Permalink

"I hope this is good! The bass in the chorus of "Me & U" is the best sound ever."

Er... Bass? And just when I've been remarking on it as yet another example of an excellent pop/r'n'b record that works despite the absence of bass! ;) It's suggestively empty, airy, and delicately balanced - with an incredible openness, like the r'n'b equivalent of a Zen rock garden. But all with no integrating bass, with the exception of the booming kick drum. Are there different versions / mixes about? Or am I just being obtuse in not acknowledging that synth-cello line in the chorus as 'bass'?

(The clip is most excellent, by the way. Just her dancing about in front of a mirror. Simplicity, perfection. With Cassie gratuitously dousing herself in a bottle of water somewhere towards the end ;) )

― Catherine Ryan (and so this is catherine), Thursday, 3 August 2006 09:26 (6 years ago) Permalink

Yeah I think I must mean the synth-cello - I've only seen the clip and heard it on the radio, and in those mediums that resonant low synth is like an evil techstep record.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 3 August 2006 09:47 (6 years ago) Permalink

It's precisely because there is no bass in the record otherwise that these bits work so effectively. Such creeping menace!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 3 August 2006 09:54 (6 years ago) Permalink

it's the same synth-cello beloved of scott storch in 50 cent productions and so on (where it's kind of used as this "hard gangsta" signifier), except with those it's seamlessly integrated into all these other shiny sounds, on 'me & u' there's virtually nothing else which amps up the dread even more.

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 3 August 2006 10:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

This girl is all frosting, no cake.

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Thursday, 3 August 2006 11:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

I like the thought of the almost melisma-less Cassie as being 'cool', in contrast to the hotness and chaos that edge-of-ignition warbles like Beyonce's "Deja Vu" have. Whereas that style is delivered in count-down-to-blast-off mode, Cassie's vocals are just so icy and still.

The links with 'Move Your Body', 'Never Leave You' are OTM. I wonder what other songs belong in this chain/constellation?

BTW - she is frost-y, not frost-ing! Who wants cake, anyway? ;) Give me icing any day.

― Catherine Ryan (and so this is catherine), Thursday, 3 August 2006 11:10 (6 years ago) Permalink

yes it's the stillness which is so compelling - it's a real rarity in r&b.

cassie's total ice. the only vocal comparison which really fits is teairra mari, but teairra's icy cos she's angry, and she's definitely not blank or disinterested.

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 3 August 2006 11:15 (6 years ago) Permalink

I'm not disputing that she's doing something wildly different from everyone else and that's what everyone is finding intriguing about her; my only point is that, for me, a little bit goes a very very very VERY long way.

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Thursday, 3 August 2006 11:21 (6 years ago) Permalink

I think I like the second single even more.

The album's very short -- 35 mins, a la all those Carter Administration Def Jam albums, and no trace of Diddy -- and very top-heavy.

― Luis Skank Bloc Polonia (Andy_K), Thursday, 3 August 2006 11:37 (6 years ago) Permalink

Tim: Do yourself a favor and listen on headphones/anything where you can get a good stereo effect. It becomes 10 times better. Each sound is isolated in its own little pocket, never interacting with anything else in the song. It's like piling on a couple more bagfulls of ice.

― It's Rodney, assume the position! (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:01 (6 years ago) Permalink

Every time I download it it's 20 minutes of skips and whistles :-(

I'm hoping to be given the CD single to review when it finally comes out here.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:29 (6 years ago) Permalink

I like this song a lot, but then I've only heard it in the liquor store. Its playing literally every time I go shopping for beer. So maybe my reaction is pavlovian.

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:31 (6 years ago) Permalink

This is way better than "Don cha"

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:32 (6 years ago) Permalink

Could someone with a leaked / promo version of the LP post a tracklisting? Love everything I've got so far although "Just Friends" is my summer jam (a year old and all).

― Mallory L . O'Donnell (That Bitch Camille), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:38 (6 years ago) Permalink

Yes I agree with that. "Don't Cha" isn't even the best Pussycat Dolls single.

I think this is maybe the most severe psuedo-crunk R&B track - "Oh" is its only challenger, and I think this sounds even emptier than that, though "Oh" does have some raw blemished grunt in its favour.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:39 (6 years ago) Permalink

Deej did you get my e-mail?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:40 (6 years ago) Permalink

No i didnt! i wonder if it was spam filtered?

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:42 (6 years ago) Permalink

No I think I had some general problems with e-mail that day (this was about two/three weeks ago maybe?) - I will e-mail again.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:43 (6 years ago) Permalink

17) that cassie "me & you" video is so sexy i can't even handle it.
-- jaxon (jaso...), August 1st, 2006 4:05 PM. (jaxon) (admin) (userip)

― jaxon (jaxon), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:46 (6 years ago) Permalink

AMG in knowing something else about black music shocka!

― Luis Skank Bloc Polonia (Andy_K), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:53 (6 years ago) Permalink

Thanks Luis. No "Just Friends." I cry now.

― Mallory L . O'Donnell (That Bitch Camille), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:55 (6 years ago) Permalink

This song has majorly grown on me over the last couple months. I love singing along to "tell me if you like it!"

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:59 (6 years ago) Permalink

>For those who don't have a good copy

(No idea if I'm doing the html right.)

― It's Rodney, assume the position! (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 3 August 2006 22:30 (6 years ago) Permalink

Let's try again.

>For those who don't have a good copy

― It's Rodney, assume the position! (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 3 August 2006 22:32 (6 years ago) Permalink

That one worked.

― It's Rodney, assume the position! (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 3 August 2006 22:33 (6 years ago) Permalink

Oh, and mod-people, that isn't a direct link.

― It's Rodney, assume the position! (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 3 August 2006 22:39 (6 years ago) Permalink

Cassie's the new Amerie. like duh. they even look alike

― jaxon (jaxon), Thursday, 3 August 2006 23:28 (6 years ago) Permalink

Amerie was/is the old/new LeToya.

― Luis Skank Bloc Polonia (Andy_K), Friday, 4 August 2006 00:15 (6 years ago) Permalink

I thought Cherish was the new Ciara

― moriarty (moriarty), Friday, 4 August 2006 02:04 (6 years ago) Permalink

Oh man, that Cherish song is so horrible ("Do It To It").

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Friday, 4 August 2006 02:11 (6 years ago) Permalink

I like "Do It To It".

― It's Rodney, assume the position! (R. J. Greene), Friday, 4 August 2006 04:25 (6 years ago) Permalink

I thought Cherish was the new Ciara

how do professional musicians keep up the pace?

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Friday, 4 August 2006 04:55 (6 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 754 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

those are not 3 of the best R&B tracks of the year, come the fuck on

― some dude, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 19:12 (5 months ago) Permalink

i'm basically addicted to them

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 19:13 (5 months ago) Permalink

"sorry" isn't, obv, i'll take the other three + "sweat" over most other r&b released this year

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 19:14 (5 months ago) Permalink

has there been a year Ciara has released music that you wouldn't say she made 3 of the best R&B tracks of the year?

― some dude, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 19:15 (5 months ago) Permalink

probably not, that's why she's one of my favourite r&b artists! are you suggesting that i'm not listening critically? was denying subjectivity not what you decided to pile on me for this morning?

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 19:19 (5 months ago) Permalink

i just feel like it diminishes the accomplishments of an actual 10 out of 10 classic Ciara song like "Promise" if you think she has 40 songs that good

― some dude, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 19:30 (5 months ago) Permalink

oh my god, that blurb at the side! everything about it is riotously embarrassing.

still, bless 'em for caring.

― c sharp major, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 20:33 (5 months ago) Permalink

since it was written by a 20 year old i'll give it a pass

― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 11 December 2012 20:36 (5 months ago) Permalink

the idea of it being someone possibly too young to even have heard "me & u" on the radio makes it extra tragic

― some dude, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 20:39 (5 months ago) Permalink

hahaha

― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 11 December 2012 20:39 (5 months ago) Permalink

Cassie has gained even more critical acclaim: Pitchfork to MuuMuse to SPIN

One of these things is not like the others...

― The Reverend, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 04:30 (5 months ago) Permalink

whatever MuuMuse is, i'm sure it's the Cassie of musical publications

― some dude, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 04:33 (5 months ago) Permalink

R&B stars: Beyonce to Cassie to Usher

― some dude, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 04:35 (5 months ago) Permalink

awwww man reading some of these song titles...

― k3vin k., Wednesday, 12 December 2012 04:44 (5 months ago) Permalink

muumuuse is some random pop blog run by a guy in boston that breathlessly reports on everything but a random guy i know knows him and apparently he has crazy industry contacts or something? but yeah. hilarious to see that there.

― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 12 December 2012 07:18 (5 months ago) Permalink

R&B stars: Beyonce to Cassie to Usher

― some dude, Tuesday, December 11, 2012 11:35 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

hehe

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, 12 December 2012 07:23 (5 months ago) Permalink

oldladiesyellatcloud.jpg

― Cousin Slappy, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 09:45 (5 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

I'm sorry to say with this Cassie Collective Trilogy I'm beginning to see what I've been missing. To those that say they missed out on some of her best stuff, what are they missing? Is there a better, unofficial comp out there?

― I Be Ballin Outta Control, Monday, 11 February 2013 13:43 (3 months ago) Permalink

i doubt they missed out anything, it's pretty exhaustive right? i just don't think much post-2008 really needed to be included

― lex pretend, Monday, 11 February 2013 17:38 (3 months ago) Permalink

^^^ what lex said. they didn't miss tons but the 12 track comp we put together a track list for in 2008/2009 hits most of the highlights.

Skydiver and Stamina are both pretty perfect, and Balcony and King of Hearts are enjoyable, and I'm never going to complain about /more/ Cassie, but I listen to it more often as a distilled single album.

― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Monday, 11 February 2013 23:09 (3 months ago) Permalink

new single with ross coming out soon

― d'eejban (J0rdan S.), Monday, 11 February 2013 23:43 (3 months ago) Permalink

the same appears to be true of ciara

― lex pretend, Monday, 11 February 2013 23:46 (3 months ago) Permalink

with Rick Ross? lol.

Rick Ross, saviour of all the neglected R&B women.

a.k.a. DEAR MAYBACH MUSIC WHEN ARE WE GETTING THAT NEW TEEDRA ALBUM

― twinkin' and drinkin' and ready to fly (Alex in Montreal), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:15 (3 months ago) Permalink

ha Ross rescuing R&B albums like Drake rescues Ross albums

― BIG REUSS aka the fun.driver (some dude), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 00:41 (3 months ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

http://www.datpiff.com/Cassie-RockaByeBaby-mixtape.465275.html

^^ no talk at all about this? haven't heard it yet, but 'numb' and 'paradise' refrain my expectations about it...

― rusty_allen, Friday, 12 April 2013 11:48 (1 month ago) Permalink

*presses play*

well that was a predictable intro

― r|t|c, Friday, 12 April 2013 13:07 (1 month ago) Permalink

of all the r&b second-tier starlets i find cassie to be the most blank-slate. i'm still trying to find out what this mixtape is about. the only impression i get halfway in is a clumsy attempt at doing bad-bitch-by-numbers.

i get the fascination with her - she has great... potential? but has she really made any career moves that haven't been horribly clumsy and awkward?

it has been a chore listening to this one half of the mixtape and i'm not optimistic for the next half :/

― cocktail onion (fennel cartwright), Friday, 12 April 2013 13:55 (1 month ago) Permalink

"i make music to numb your brain" probs not the best advised lyric

― r|t|c, Friday, 12 April 2013 13:58 (1 month ago) Permalink

i think she thinks she's pandering to the watching-the-party-thru-smoke vibes crew w/that line

― flamenco drop (lex pretend), Friday, 12 April 2013 14:01 (1 month ago) Permalink

the mixtape did surprise me in that most of it is trying to bite that riri #phuckeverything swag but it's not a great fit overall

― flamenco drop (lex pretend), Friday, 12 April 2013 14:02 (1 month ago) Permalink

will listen. as for tiers, casseie's blankness is obviously what makes her first tier, and i think the better question is has she made any moves that HAVE been clumsy and awkward? i dunno, i haven't heard a lot by her that isn't perfect. been bumpin balcony on repeat lately.

― surm, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:03 (1 month ago) Permalink

it's an inherently sweet blankness though, at its best. the 'pour it up' style nihilism this tape flirts with is above her paygrade

― r|t|c, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:11 (1 month ago) Permalink

i like how the guests aren't listed on this soundcloud, makes a much funner game of bingo when you don't know when to expect jeremih's whinnying

― r|t|c, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:14 (1 month ago) Permalink

her royal blankness

oh no, now i'm nervous :(

― surm, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:14 (1 month ago) Permalink

the song with jeremih is good

― sisilafami, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:15 (1 month ago) Permalink

i just find her work to be disparate and unfocused. like she's trying to find a lil r&b niche and fill it. i hadn't heard balcony yet but the first youtube comment was pretty otm with the jhene aiko comparison. balcony isn't even a bad song or anything. but jhene has already carved out her niche. now cassie is just jumping from hazy sex to NINO CARTER in the span of a few months, and that's genre hopping from an artist w/o the pedigree to get away with it

i say second tier in terms of mainstream success. most regular music fans i know perceive her as a forgettable one hit wonder. i know she has the cult following but by definition cult following =/= most definitions of first tier

― cocktail onion (fennel cartwright), Friday, 12 April 2013 14:17 (1 month ago) Permalink

wait a minute jhene's niche is ENTIRELY based on biting cassie

― flamenco drop (lex pretend), Friday, 12 April 2013 14:22 (1 month ago) Permalink

like i remember the first time i heard jhene just thinking "does the #cassiefanclub own a laboratory now and did they create this girl in it"

― flamenco drop (lex pretend), Friday, 12 April 2013 14:23 (1 month ago) Permalink

at the same time, not achieving mainstream success doesn't mean you are not a first-rate musician. her cult following has happened bc she did in fact fill a niche. to this day i can't think of anyone else i could put on when i am in the mood for that vibe. she has a very particular voice, and the precision of it, along with cleanliness of her production is what makes her anything but disparate and unfocused.

― surm, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:24 (1 month ago) Permalink

xxp

― surm, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:24 (1 month ago) Permalink

feel pleased never to have spent time cultivating any semblance of an opinion on jhene

― r|t|c, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:25 (1 month ago) Permalink

'ditto' will always be cassie's signature tune in my eyes i think

― r|t|c, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:25 (1 month ago) Permalink

"is it you?" is one i've been thinking of recently, an avenue that was closed off too swiftly

― flamenco drop (lex pretend), Friday, 12 April 2013 14:28 (1 month ago) Permalink

*summer charm* will definitely be blowin up my crib this summer

― surm, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:33 (1 month ago) Permalink

Pusha T definitely just blatantly lifted 2 recent MC references in an otherwise OK song (take care of me baby is spooky enough to sound like cassie)

― surm, Friday, 12 April 2013 14:43 (1 month ago) Permalink

eww Do My Dance <--> Bad Bitches is some keri hilson gone bad shit, v uninspiring

― surm, Friday, 12 April 2013 15:09 (1 month ago) Permalink

lol @ the cassie review in pfork today, he wont be getting his membership in the club revoked

― just sayin, Friday, 19 April 2013 12:23 (1 month ago) Permalink

What’s clear now is that Cassie’s no longer just competing in the R&B game anymore.

― r|t|c, Friday, 19 April 2013 12:40 (1 month ago) Permalink

What’s clear now is that Cassie’s just no longer competing in the R&B game anymore.

Fixed

― Tim F, Friday, 19 April 2013 12:55 (1 month ago) Permalink

mixtape is pretty eh

― J0rdan S., Monday, 22 April 2013 22:37 (3 weeks ago) Permalink

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