By now if you're a fan of Chris Brown or just have a tendency to notice new music videos then you've been made aware of singer Chris Brown's latest video. Ask someone about the video and you'll hear, "it sounds just like Beyonce". Chris Brown's "With You" and Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" were both produced by Stargate. Now, producers should have a defined style. "That's a Timbaland track". "I know that Swizz Beats made that song." But how can you determine if a song is stylistic or repetitive. Did you feel that Timbaland's "My love" and "Anonymous" sounded too much alike. When one song starts and you're ready to sing the other maybe it's too far. Personally Chris and Beyonce's song sound different enough to me, because of the tone of the song. One's singing about leaving the other is singing the opposite, so the beat doesn't get in the way. Maybe everyone has listened to "Irreplaceable" too much. Then again Stargate produced "Hate that I love you" does not sound as similar. Maybe as the rumor goes Beyonce's song was given to Chris with an instrument added and a slower tempo. You be the judge.Now let's get into the video. I have to say I like the song. I hated it for awhile, but it grew on me. Even after growing to appreciate it I wouldn't have picked it for a single. Off of his album "You" or the rising radio hit "Picture Perfect" served better as next singles. In all of Chris Brown's 2007 interviews he mentions balancing the young and mature parts of himself. "Kiss, Kiss" and "Wall to Wall" spoke to a young audience. "With You" is sweet pop. Good song, but is this what he's trying to do? Stay cheesy? I don't think so. The transition to manhood in the music business has to be slow, but it still has to happen. The video is still nice, and compared to his goofy antics in "Kiss, Kiss", this video is more mature. It's artistic. The transitions and editing create a beautiful picture. I like.
When watching the video there's this one odd thing I notice. THE TATTOO. Chris fans are aware of the tattoos on his arm, hand, etc. The tattoo under his ear has become known (This tattoo location is getting pretty popular across the US). Yet, a new tattoo has emerged on his neck. Only in the video. Recent television and live appearances show no sign of that new tattoo. The video itself tries to conceal it with nearly all shots shown from an angle that the tattoo can't be seen from. We know that the tattoo was several different sized stars. Someone might want to explain his new fascination with stars to me...
I've managed to capture some stills. Not an easy task considering so few shots feature this odd tattoo. Odd, because it doesn't really exist. We must assume that he got this tattoo temporarily through Henna or airbrush. He got a fake to test it out, but didn't like how it looked so he got rid of it, but not before shooting "With You." As a co-director of the video he made it a point to not filmed from that side.
Check out the whimsy "With You" collage below. The photo that has been included bottom right is from a recent premiere of the film he stars in now in theater, “This Christmas". It's not from the video; it's just there to serve for comparison :)
Doesn't matter Chris. We see it all. Everything that happens outside of the spotlight gets caught on the Fame Light ;)
