Brandy vs. Mark Wills | Head 2 Head

In the 41^st edition of Head 2 Head (2025), Brandy and Mark Wills contend for the best rendition of “Almost Doesn’t Count.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians performing the same song and compare their performances.  After deliberation, we decide which performance is the best or moves us more subjectively.  In the 41^st edition of Head 2 Head (2025), Brandy and Mark Wills contend for the best rendition of “Almost Doesn’t Count”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

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1. Brandy, “Almost Doesn’t Count” 2. Mark Wills, “Almost Doesn’t Count” The Verdict 👨🏾‍⚖️

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1. Brandy, “Almost Doesn’t Count”

Never Say Never » Atlantic Recording Corporation » 1998

Almost is the keyword for Grammy-winning R&B singer Brandy (Brandy Norwood, b. 1979) on “Almost Doesn’t Count”. Anytime that the word almost is used, that means you didn’t quite reach the expectation, goal, or the mountaintop. Moral victories aren’t true victories, which is the point that Brandy makes loud and clear on the single and fifth track from her 1998 album, Never Say Never.  “Almost” was a hit on the pop charts, reaching number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999. Impressive. Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche penned it, while Roche and Fred Jerkins III produced it.

 

“Almost Doesn’t Count” is a stunning, rhythmic R&B ballad.  Brandy is the star of the show, expectedly.  Her voice is buttery smooth and distinct.  She brings the striking, tuneful melodies and memorable, thought-provoking lyrics to life.  At the end of the first verse, excerpted earlier, she asserts, “But you can’t get to heaven half off the ground / Everybody knows, almost doesn’t count.” In the second verse, there is plenty of almost happening, but it’s not good enough regarding love.  Looking for a “no doubt, be there kind of man,” Brandy sings, “You came real close / But every time you built me up, you only let me down.” The sentiment is similar in the third verse. The chorus is the crowning achievement:

“I can’t keep on lovin’ you one foot outside the door

I hear a funny hesitation of a heart that’s never really sure

Can’t keep on tryin’ if you’re looking for more

Than all that I could give you, than what you came here for.”

Beyond top-notch musicianship showcased by Brandy and stellar songwriting, the musical backdrop is elite.  “Almost” is quintessential contemporary R&B of the late ‘90s, with ample soulfulness added to the mix.  All in all, this is another gem from the Brandy catalog. Yes, “The Boy Is Mine” and “Have You Ever” were bigger, but “Almost Doesn’t Count” is an epic gem, too!

 

Appears in:

Brandy, Almost Doesn’t Count: Throwback Vibez No. 172 (2025)

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2. Mark Wills, “Almost Doesn’t Count”

Permanently » Mercury » 2000

Can country music and R&B coexist? While both genres seem worlds apart, that is not always the case. R&B musicians have covered country songs, while country musicians have covered R&B songs.  A prime example comes from country musician Mark Wills (b. 1973). In 2000, he covered a Brandy gem, “Almost Doesn’t Count”, on his album, Permanently. “Almost” originally appeared on Brandy’s ultra-successful 1998 album, Never Say Never, and reached the top 20 of the pop charts as a single the following year. Wills had big shoes to fill.  He proves he was up to the arduous musical task on this top 20 country song!

From the beginning, Mark Wills makes wise musical choices. How so? Instantly, in his hands, “Almost Doesn’t Count” earns a distinct country music treatment with the prominence of an acoustic guitar.  For the first half of the first verse, the arrangement is stripped, and no trace of teen-pop or R&B is found! Further cementing the distinction of Wills’ take, he brings the ‘T’ word: TWANG! To reiterate, these are wise musical decisions that allow this cover to differentiate from the original. By the second half of the first verse, the sound grows fuller. When the golden chorus comes along, the full instrumentation is in place. Wills cooks during the centerpiece, impressing with his big, countrified vocals:

“I can’t keep on loving you one foot outside the door

I hear a funny hesitation of a heart that’s never really sure

Can’t keep on tryin’ if you’re looking for more

Than all that I could give you, than what you came here for.”

After the big-time chorus, Wills brings things back down a bit during the second verse.  That said, it’s never as restrained as the first verse, and he gradually builds things back up. Adding to the gloriousness of the sound, the piano enters the mix, always a win in my book! A big drum riff and soaring pedal steel ushers in the second chorus, keeping the almost doesn’t count glory lofty! All told, Mark Wills maintains the sanctity of Brandy’s original, while making his rendition of “Almost Doesn’t Count” truly his own. This well-written song works marvelously as a country song.

Appears in:

Mark Wills, Almost Doesn’t Count: Covers No. 36 (2025)

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The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

So, whose almost didn’t count the most? Was it the original, contemporary R&B gem by Brandy or the pleasantly surprising countrified cover by Mark Wills? I applaud Wills’s transformative cover. He proves that R&B and country can co-exist, or at least, they can superbly cover each other’s songs… something like that. His twang and the country instrumental make “Almost Doesn’t Count” sound like it could’ve been a country song originally.  BUT we know that’s not the case. Brandy had a huge album with Never Say Never, and the top 20 success of “Almost Doesn’t Count” contributed to its greatness, even if to a lesser extent than the album’s biggest songs.  Give Mr. Wills credit, but I’m rolling with Ms. Norwood on this one, hands down.

🏅 Winner: Brandy 

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Brandy vs. Mark Wills: Head 2 Head No. 41 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Atlantic Recording Corporation, Mercury; cottonbro studio, Israel Torres, KoolShooters, Los Muertos Crew, RDNE Stock project, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels; AcatXIo from Pixabay]

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