Tweet: Southern Hummingbird : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Tweet's left-field hit, "oops (Oh My)" is hip-hop's answer to such horny-girl anthems as Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop" and the Divinyls' "I Touch Myself" -- songs where sisters are truly doing it for themselves. Anyone picking up Tweet's debut album, Southern Hummingbird, expecting similar libidinous fare will be sorely disappointed. In fact, expectations of any sort of heat -- erotic or otherwise -- are quickly dashed on this surprisingly dull Missy Elliott-Timbaland project. The lyrics are run-of-the-mill R&B fare: romantic or sexual longing that is rarely fulfilled; unfaithful and undeserving lovers; the aftermath of failed affairs. The production rarely approaches the wit or inventiveness that Elliott and Timbaland have established as their trademarks. Acoustic guitar is the heavily applied sonic condiment here, which simply throws Tweet's vacuousness into high relief. The album even blunts the edges of neosoul eccentric Bilal, who duets on the track "Best Friend" -- it's only during the coolly sci-fi-electro "Oops" and midtempo groover "Make Ur Move" that this hummingbird flies.

ERNEST HARDY
(RS 894 - April 25, 2002)