Track Listing

1. So Much To Say (Intro)
2. My Place
3. Smoking Cigarettes
4. Best Friend
5. Always Will
6. Boogie 2nite
7. Oops (Oh My)
8. Make Ur Move
9. Motel
10. Beautiful
11. Complain
12. Heaven
13. Call Me
14. Drunk
15. Southern Hummingbird: Outro
16. Untitled
17. Untitled

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38850 in Music
• Released on: 2002-05-13
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Tweet's Southern Hummingbird is the classic showbiz story: an overnight sensation 10 years in the making. The sultry singer/songwriter travelled a long and twisted path to success, one that brought her in contact with Missy Elliott, who years later tracked her old friend down and rescued her from obscurity. The resulting effort is a crystal-clear triumph, much more old-school soul than contemporary R&B.

Aside from the dance-driven "Oops (Oh My)", Southern Hummingbird's sound is far less electronic than the usual Missy and Timbaland co-production. A good mix of party grooves and more intimate acoustic guitar work nicely balances Tweet's graceful vocals. Her style will inevitably draw comparisons to Minnie Riperton, though many would describe her as a female D'Angelo. Either way, fans of intelligent soul music will be glad Tweet stuck it out--Hummingbird is the work of an introspective and talented woman. --Rebecca Levine

CD Description
Despite being a protege of hip-hop artist Missy Elliott, Rochester native Tweet has a style much more in common with the urban soul of India.Arie. Having spent nearly a decade trying to get a big break, Tweet offers a more mature approach to her relationship themes. Despite the presence of executive producers Elliott and longtime creative partner Timbaland,much of SOUTHERN HUMMINGBIRD is steeped in Tweet's honeyed vocals and acoustic guitar woven around languid grooves.
Songs like the slow-jam "Smoking Cigarettes" and "Best Friend" (featuring Bilal and his Prince-like falsetto), play up the pain of love and loss while uptempo jams like "Boogie 2Nite" and "Make Ur Move" use infectious beats and juicy harmonies to cast these weightier concerns to the wind. Hip-hop heads end up getting their Jones fed with "Oops (Oh My)", the lead-off smash duet with Missy, defined by Elliott's subtle electronic-flavoured production hand. Tweet's organic musical approach comes across best on "Motel", where the soulful siren uses a single acoustic guitar and a dash of background vocal accompaniment to sing this tale of a jilted lover getting busted in the act. SOUTHERN HUMMINGBIRD is a musical tonic guaranteed to make your soul soar.

Customer Reviews

Tweet
This is one of my favourite albums, the rest of the album is so different from Oops. Smoking Cigarettes is a gorgeous chilled out tune, and remains one of my favourites. Motel is fabulous and really heart felt written from her own experiences. There is not a single weak track on her, in fact the weakest I feel is Oops, oh my which was brilliant anyway, love it. Can't wait for more from Tweet

Amazing voice, pretty amazing album!!!
To cut a long story short - this is one of the best rnb albums around. If you like albums by alaicia keys, aaliyah and ashanti, then i would strongly reccomend this album to you. Southern Hummingbird is nothing like her debut single Oh My, but dont let this put you off! Heres my track by track review...

1- So Much to say: Sugary sweet vocals to introduce the album. should b longer. 7/10
2- My Place: Beautiful track which gets you in the mood. 9/10
3. Smoking Cigarettes: A bit whiny, but her voice more than makes up 4 it. 7/10
4. Best Friend: Great duet wiv Bilal, one of the best tracks. 9/10
5. Always Will: doesnt get stuck in your head, but sweet.
6. Boogie 2nite - Brilliant. makes u want 2 dance ur socks of. 10/10
7. Ooops - Catchy, naughty, very good! 9/10
8. Make ur move - So a good song. straight 2 the point!
9. Motel- Not the best song. whiny, bad lyrics, too acoustic. 4/10
10. Beautiful - Nice, soothing, just lovely! 8/10
11.Complain - Ok track, optimistic and upbeat. 6/10
12. Heaven - Another upbeat track which makes me smile. 8/10
13. Call me - I love this thing. Modern, edgy, dancable.
14. Drunk - Not bad, a bit floaty, and not the best topic 2 sing about tho. 7/10
15. Southern Hummingbird - Just an outro where she thanks everyone. Too corny 4 me. 4/10
16. Sexual Healing - Fanbloodytastic!!! Great beats, perfect vocals, just great. 10/10
17. Big Spender - I like missy elliot, but this isnt her best work. stick to originals, not covers. 2/10

Although some of the songs arent brill, the good songs more than make up 4 it, and just hearing her voice is a bonus. Buy it if you have taste!!!

WOW.
What can I say? This has got to be the best debut album within the urban genre since Lauryn Hill's marvellous "The Miseducation Of...". Although "Southern Hummingbird" isn't quite as groundbreaking, it is a little masterpiece in it's own right. Tweet proves that there's more to the r&b genre than dull, overrated drivel produced by the likes of more commercial artists such as rival starlets Alicia Keys and Ashanti. Track-by-track review:

01 "So Much To Say" - Gorgeous intro, her voice sounds incredibly sexy.
02 "My Place" - A laid-back slice of soulful r&b, with Tweet's vocals and lyrics once again combining to provide a sexy atmosphere. 7.5/10
03 "Smoking Cigarettes" - One of the stand-out tracks from the album, a potential classic. Chilled yet cool, Tweet's vocals are irresistable, the production sounds as if it derives from folk influences, and it all works perfectly. 10/10
04 "Best Friend" - Here, Bilal - a star in his own right, provides duet vocals for a sweet tune about friendship. The chemistry between the 2 stars is simply fascinating. 9.5/10
05 "Always Will" - Tweet proves herself to be a lyrical genius with this track, that's sung beautifully. Another stand-out. Who said you had to sing like Aretha Franklin to have soul anyway? 10/10
06 "Boogie 2nite" - THE stand-out track of the album. Destined to be a classic in the future, a catchy hook, Tweet's sultry vocals, and a male vocal that sounds like a 27th century Barry White, I DARE you not to love this. 10/10
07 "Oops (Oh My)" - Understandably controversial debut single, sexy, sassy, and superb. 10/10
08 "Make Ur Move" - Another funky uptempo tune in the style of "Boogie 2nite", and almost equally as brilliant! 10/10
09 "Motel" - Tweet proves she can sound vulnerable as well as dominant, your heart breaks when she squeals "go to hell baby". 10/10
10 "Beautiful" - Another slow, laid-back tune, but not quite up to the standard of songs like "Motel" and "Always Will". The lyrics are gorgeous, but the vocals sound slightly forced. 8/10
11 "Complain" - Yet another slow tune, but it's another irresistably gorgeous one that will bring a tear to your eye. 10/10
12 "Heaven" - One of 2 surprisingly weak tracks on the album, and incidentally it's co-produced by Timbaland. The production is appalling, and Tweet sounds off form, with the song ending up in a big mess. 5/10
13 "Call Me" - Superb 2nd single in the style of Missy's "Get Ur Freak On". Short, but oh so sweet. 10/10
14 "Drunk" - Lyrically superb, musically poor. 3/10
15 "Southern Hummingbird" - Nice enough outro.
16 "Sexual Healing" - Excellent uptempo track, very catchy. 9/10

Congratulations Tweet. Your debut effort shows that there are still amazing talents in the music business (Tweet wrote and produced the vast majority of the tracks on the album). It'd be a crime if this lady doesn't become the global superstar that she deserves to be.