Contemporary R&B standout Fantasia dabbles in countrified soul on โUgly,โ a single from her upcoming LP, The Definition of…ย
Not to relive the American Idol Series finale, but among new singles trapped in an overstuffed two-hour concert was Fantasiaโs new single, โUgly.โ Yes, โUglyโ had to compete with a catchier, if โsoon-to-be-forgottenโ new single from Jennifer Lopez (โAinโt Your Mamaโ) among others, but arguably, โUglyโ might be worth a second look, even if it seemed โoddโ in the context of the show. In other words, give Fantasiaโs latest a chance.
Is โUglyโ the second coming? Nope. BUT, what is respectable about this song is that thereโs more of a pop and singer/songwriter vibe, something that we havenโt necessarily heard from Fantasia throughout her underrated career. This is not that catchy radio song thatโs going to necessarily make Fantasia a pop star โ sheโs clearly an R&B gal โ but this is a pop-oriented R&B song that has the right formula to get pop airplay. Confused yet?
Final Thoughts ๐ญ
Now to address the elephant in the room โ will โUglyโ breakthrough? Probably not, but the potential is there because itโs a different look/sound for Fantasia. Sheโs still soulful, but the poise and restraint are a nice contrast. Furthermore, the fact she finally reaches a fever pitch is just a further testament to the โgiftsโ given by this unlikely candidate. It wonโt be for everybody, but give it a few spins โ thereโs something here.
Fantasia โข The Definition ofย โข RCA โข Released: 7.29.16
Photo Credit:ย RCA