Off the strength of the lead single, “Addictive” featuring the legendary Rakim, Truth Hurts was immediately thrust into the limelight of the hip-hop and soul sub-category. The first question lingering about this release is, can Truth Hurts bring enough bad assed singing to make a long player listenable? The second question, can she find a mix of producers to bring out her best for an entire project?
If the Interscope cash cow and Dr. Dre’s ear for quality has anything to do with it, the answer to the second part is definitely yes – and combining these factors together, the same answer applies to the first question. Those expecting an album full of single ready tracks (“Additive Parts 2-10″) to shake your ass to, will be disappointed, but a few consecutive listens reveals this to be a diverse project from start to finish. Dr. Dre sets his appointment with Truth perfectly on “Push Play”, working as the perfect intro to the album.

It goes without saying that what will draw most people to the album is “Addictive”, a track that still gets heavy rotation featuring one of the most hypnotic and truly addictive beats in quite some time. The fat booty basslines of “Grown” will instantly get that head nodding as Truth speaks on being treated like a grown woman and doing what she pleases, while the Mel-Man produced “Tired” joins solid production with the tale of what Truth is going through. Meanwhile, star producers Dr. Dre and Timbaland also have some show-stealing moments with each “Hollywood” and “Real”, respectively.

With a diverse yet controlled environment of producers (Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, Timbaland, Organized Noize, and Hi-Tek), the songstress Truth Hurts brings a perfect combination of sexuality, sorrows and upliftment to make a well-balanced and enjoyable project.