Web exclusive: Dondria vs. Phatfffat simply great music

Music these days is about…I'd say at least 50% crap.

Nobody really has to sing anymore. There are all these machines that can simulate natural talent and smoke and mirrors to create stars. It's rare to find an actual talent. But I think I have: Dondria.

Some people may know her as phatfffat. This girl worked from the ground up earning YouTube fame with the videos she started making for fun. She was then signed by Jermaine Dupri and has been a whirlwind ever since. Her first album Dondria vs. Phatfffat dropped on August 17th and has had surprising success but not enough if you ask me.

Dondria has a voice reminiscent of Beyonce and there is definitely something special there. But most people don't even know who she is. That "You're the One" song that you kept hearing a few months ago…that was her. The album is just more of that raw talent. Smooth well produced beats and arrangements with simple talent on top. Not too much, no auto tune, nothing overly sexual or offensive, just good music. She has some growing to do but I have no doubt that she will get there soon.

I've been excited about her from the start. I played her mix tape (and still do) like a crazy person. Her voice is beautifully displayed on songs like "Where Did We Go Wrong" and "Kissed by the Sun" her harmonies are effortless. This album is like singing in the backseat on car trips as a kid. Hair brush in the mirror good. I'll admit it took me a few spins to find my groove with some of the songs but it's definitely there. Even if you don't like the song you can't deny the talent there.

Dondria has a very 90's feel. She gives me hope that the day will soon return when real female singers will stand at a microphone and sing. That's it. No glitter or barely there costumes. Songs that can truly be called JAMS and remain relevant past the year that they debut.

It doesn't hurt that she's backed by some of the biggest names in music. I mean Dupri is a part of the decade team. He, along with Brian Michael Cox and Johnta Austin have penned and produced some of the biggest hits of our generation. They worked on Usher's Confessions album, Mariah's comeback album. "We Belong Together" that was them too.

I have a feeling and high hopes that this album and this artist will go far. She deserves it and so do consumers. I'm tired of being expected to shell out 19.99 for a CD and then be subjected to hit songs sung by people who would have been better WAY in the background. I personally don't care how good you can dance or how pretty you are if you sound like you're gargling with rocks on every song.

Dondria may get a slow start trying to break through to all of the brainwashed music fans out there but once she does…they won't regret it. In any event she already has my $9.99 and it was money well spent in my opinion.