Brainwash
NICOLE C. MULLEN

Producer(s): Tony McAnany, Nicole C. Mullen
Writer(s): Nicole C. Mullen
Label: Word

A couple of months ago Nicole announced in an interview that the sequel to the wonderfully-written, artistically-sound Sharecropper’s Seed, Vol. 1 would be more “upbeat and fast-paced” – I really did not know what to expect, seeing that Mullen’s best works were her storytelling ballads, not her rock-driven pop tunes. Lo and behold, the lead single for A Dream to Believe In, Vol. 2 is a rock-driven pop tune. Surprisingly, “Brainwash” holds more than a candle to her previous upbeat hits (which are countable on one hand) and the song’s verses are so au corant that you will wonder whether it is Nicole C. Mullen you are hearing. But halfway through a debut listen of the song’s memorable hook, you will have already memorized it and been able to sing along with a hundred-percent precision, leaving the following thirty-five times a painful tread. It would be of utmost irony if radio attached itself to this song over the beautiful “One Touch” or “Convinced,” both snubbed last year.

Verdict: 3/5

- Clem