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'Fortune' might bring Chris Brown some good luck, and the album boasts the odd stand out track but any potential is held back by the rest of the indistinguishable and forgettable track list.
'Turn Up The Music' is Fortune's opening track and creates high hopes but before getting a quarter of the way through the 14 track (19 track deluxe edition) things become really predictable. Chris Brown is without a doubt an extraordinary artist who has in the past proved a successful singer, songwriter and rapper but Fortune comes across as if he has put more effort into other areas of his career. This album as second best and not really exceeding himself as a recording artist.
Much of the album sounds more or less the same and it's often a challenge to know when one song finishes and the next one starts. However what saves the album are tracks such as 'Don't Judge Me', '4 Years Old' and '2012' which all churn out a beautiful melody rarely heard in modern R&B.
Revisiting and recreating four year old 'Get Down' with guest artist B.O.B comes across as if the pair lacked determination and becomes just another lazy track. Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa team up with Chris Brown for 'Til I Die', though they say two brains are better than one it seems all three had different ideas and decided to put them all into one dish. The intro sounds like the Crazy Frog and there’s not really a storyline or point to the song.
The highlight of the album is almost certainly 'Don’t Wake Me Up' but it is awkwardly placed before 'Trumpet Lights', a heart pounding ballad that somehow it doesn’t really flow with the rest of Fortune. Guest vocals on 'Trumpet Lights' come from Sabrina Antionette and add an extra dimension to the track, making us wish there was more tracks like this on the album.
Chris Brown needs to push for more in future material, testing his vocal range and lyric ability would have seen him achieve much more on this release.
