POP MUSIC REVIEW : Brandy: Too Cool and Too Off-Putting?

Though she’s only 16, R&B; princess Brandy performed like a veteran at the House of Blues on Sunday. And in some cases, that meant she was getting a little too big for her britches.

This was evident when, halfway through her hourlong set, she asked the crowd, “How many of you guys are broken-hearted?” as an introduction to her song “Brokenhearted.” Not surprisingly, the question was largely met with blank stares, since half the crowd wasn’t even old enough to date.

And half the crowd probably had never been to a concert before, which is why they didn’t really seem to understand Brandy’s pop star attitude. She strutted across the club’s stage as if she were Janet Jackson before 10,000 people, and she talked to the crowd like a true pop star--egotistical and cool as can be.

This is nothing new with veteran acts--often it’s just part of the show. But for Brandy’s impressionable crowd, it seemed off-putting.

She does have plenty to be cocky about, though. On slower songs such as “Love Is on My Side,” the Carson teen-ager demonstrated that she does have a natural singing talent. Funkier songs such as “Baby” and “Where Are You Now?” showed off some quality dance arrangements and a fine-tuned backing band (seeing an actual band at all with a teen R&B; act was refreshing).

Brandy clearly stands out from her peers. Problem is, she seems to know it all too well.