Fantasia Redeems Herslf On Fourth Album

Season 3 winner of American Idol, Fantasia released her fourth album Side Effects of You last week and it's great return to form after her third album Back to Me was very lackluster. After her first two albums Free Yourself and Fantasia were both great albums.
Fantasia released the single "Lose to Win" in January. The single was a decent song but it didn't look good. Then in April, a week before the release of the album Fantasia released the second single and best song on the album. "Without Me" which features Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott. The song features the three women going ham on lovers who have done them wrong. "What would you be without me," Fantasia sings during the chorus. The song is a mid-tempo R&B/hip hop and it's good to hear Elliott back in the booth.
The album has so many great songs. The title track which was written by Emeli Sandé is a great song about the codependency in a bad relationship. "Ain't All Bad" is a reggae inspired song about moving on from a breakup and on the rock and funk inspired "Get it Right" Fantasia seems to have discovered profanity for the first time. "Give the motherfucking drummer some," she screams during the breakdown. "So Much to Prove" continues the rock-laced sound of "Get it Right." Fantasia described the sound of the album as "rock-soul and that is what keeps going on the next song "Change Your Mind." The soulful track is laced with rock guitars and features a sassed up and sexy Fantasia. The next song, the VV Brown written "Lighthouse" is about shining bright and being yourself. The song has a rock sound as well and sounds like an outtake from Brown's catalog.
The album closes with some songs that sound like they could be off of early Fantasia albums. The sound on the closing three songs is soulful and emotional. The songs here shake off the rock swag of the middle of the album and get down the classic Fantasia.
Also this record is the first where Fantasia writes most of the lyrics. On her last record she wrote a few songs but on her first two she didn't write anything. "Ain't All Bad," If I Was a Bird," Without Me," "Get it Right," "So Much to Prove," "Change Your Mind," End of Me" and the bonus tracks "Haunted" and "To The Heavens" all give Fantasia a writing credit. This makes the album more personal.
Fantasia is back to her old form on this album and hopefully she can keep going and make more amazing albums just like this one.