When the forlorn ballad '4 AM' started to gain airplay, in September 2011, it sounded like an answer record to any one of several songs in rotation. Here was the flip side to the boys' unapologetic pillage-and-plunder tales: the voice of a vulnerable, livid woman backed by pinging/pulsing percussion, including a brilliantly anachronistic drum'n'bass tease, with swells of synthesizers, strings, and electric guitar. The insidious effect of '4 AM' translated to a slow, steady rise; by the time The MF Life was released, in March 2012, it had finally slipped into the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The song served a second purpose, as it was wholly contemporary -- quite possibly a move to airlift Melanie Fiona from the retro box. Mostly unnecessary vocal appearances from J. Cole, Nas, B.o.B, John Legend, and T-Pain suggest a marked effort to make Fiona appeal to a larger crowd, but otherwise, The MF Life has the singer refining the throwback approach of The Bridge with a couple diversions into soul-influenced adult contemporary rock. In addition to '4 AM,' there's a six-track stretch, from the elegantly plain-spoken 'I Been That Girl' (co-written by onetime bandmate Drake) through the vamping 'Bones' (as in 'Get all molecular and pass myself through you'), where each song either matches or surpasses the best of The Bridge.

While Fiona clearly thrives most in settings that pull from late-'60s and early-'70s soul, she's remarkably versatile when it comes to modes of expression. Somewhere between Jazmine Sullivan and Kelis, her not-quite-husky, not-quite-scratchy voice is easily adaptable to a range of material that zeroes in on desperate longing, resentful rejection, and many points between. The more beneficial mix of songwriting and production collaborators, including Jack Splash, No ID, Rico Love, and Salaam Remi, helps make The MF Life superior to the debut in every way.

Melanie Fiona - The MF Life (Deluxe Edition) Mp3 Music Album. High Quality (CBR 256/320 kbps) Mp3 Store. Cheap prices! Buy and download music now!

~ Andy Kellman.

On The MF Life, Melanie Fiona advances into modern urban territory without forsaking the smoldering retro-soul of her debut release. The Canadian singer dips into a host of stylistic eras in these tracks, interpreting them with an admirable blend of artistic confidence and emotional vulnerability. Goblin Steamatic Pro 4.0 Manual there. The MF Life boasts production input by such A-list hitmakers as Rico Love and Salaam Remi and features guest vocal appearances by J. Cole, John Legend, T-Pain, and Nas.

She tears into tunes like the hypnotic “This Time,” the dramatic “Break Down These Walls,” and the desperate “Wrong Side of a Love Song.” Her ferocious vocals on the erotically obsessive “Bones” and the conflicted “Running” are matched by the liberation she brings to uplifting tracks like “Change the Record” and “Watch Me Work.” On “4AM” and “6AM,” she applies her old-school R&B magic to smooth contemporary settings. Melanie Fiona keeps her performances real even when asserting her inner diva, making The MF Life a work of both impressive talent and deep, genuine feeling. On The MF Life, Melanie Fiona advances into modern urban territory without forsaking the smoldering retro-soul of her debut release. The Canadian singer dips into a host of stylistic eras in these tracks, interpreting them with an admirable blend of artistic confidence and emotional vulnerability. The MF Life boasts production input by such A-list hitmakers as Rico Love and Salaam Remi and features guest vocal appearances by J.

Cole, John Legend, T-Pain, and Nas. She tears into tunes like the hypnotic “This Time,” the dramatic “Break Down These Walls,” and the desperate “Wrong Side of a Love Song.” Her ferocious vocals on the erotically obsessive “Bones” and the conflicted “Running” are matched by the liberation she brings to uplifting tracks like “Change the Record” and “Watch Me Work.” On “4AM” and “6AM,” she applies her old-school R&B magic to smooth contemporary settings. Melanie Fiona keeps her performances real even when asserting her inner diva, making The MF Life a work of both impressive talent and deep, genuine feeling.

Offering a throwback sound to complement her rich voice, Melanie Fiona is a Grammy-winning R&B artist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Born Melanie Hall, the singer grew up in inner-city Toronto to Guyanese parents. Fiona developed a passion for music at an early age, influenced by groups and artists such as the Ronettes and Whitney Houston. Though she has been active as a performer since 2002 -- she was a member of the groups X-Quisite and the Renaissance, the latter of which featured Drake -- her first recording didn't arrive until 2008. 'Somebody Come Get Me,' a reggae single issued under the alias Syren Hall on the Black Chiney label, was featured on the Reggae Gold 2008 compilation, and it helped her get signed to Universal Motown. The same year, she was an opening act on Kanye West's European tour, which was especially notable because she had yet to release an album.

In 2009, Fiona released her debut single, 'Give It to Me Right,' which sampled 'Time of the Season' by the Zombies years before Miguel referred to it. Fiona's melismatic and dynamic vocal propelled the single to the Top 20 on the Canadian Hot 100, in addition to a placement on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. Her debut album, The Bridge, was released in May 2009, and went Top Five R&B/Hip-Hop. Its greatest success was the follow-up to 'Give It to Me Right,' 'It Kills Me,' which topped the R&B chart and earned Fiona her first Grammy nomination. Subsequent collaborations included a featured role on John Legend and the Roots' update of 'Wake Up Everybody' (which was nominated for a Grammy) and a co-written duet with Cee Lo Green, 'Fool for You' (which was nominated for two Grammy Awards and won one of them). Fiona's second album, The MF Life, was released in March 2012. It debuted in the Top Ten of the Billboard 200, highlighted by the RIAA-certified gold single '4 AM,' one of the era's best ballads.

'Gone and Never Coming Back,' another song of heartache, won a Juno Award. Her third album, Awake, was scheduled for 2015. ~ Matthew Chisling & Andy Kellman • ORIGIN Toronto, Ontario, Canada • GENRE • BORN July 4, 1983.