January 26, 2001
Mya : Case Of The Ex
'Ghetto Superstar' vocalist educates you about dealing with your boyfriend's ex...
No-good boyfriend anthem number four thousand eighty time, y'all. We've had some choice cuts about guys who think going Dutch means travelling to Holland. About guys who live at home, don't see their kids and still think they have something to offer you in recent times.
Bringing up the rear of this manifesto is former 'Ghetto Superstar' vocalist Mya. Culled from her second album, 'Fear Of Flying', 'Case...' is a lot more jovial than, say, Lauryn Hill's 'Ex-Factor' because the ex in question isn't Mya's man, but her man's ex, who's constantly a-ringing her home and a-bugging her man prompting her to pose the dodgy question: "do you want her back?!"
The stuttering arrangement of the original is cool and suits Mya's brooding mood, but after a while it simply sits in the wind - there's no real build into a bassline leaving the track to run along a continuos pop/r&b vibe. The Sovereign remix is broader in its intent, and was created to appeal to the UK garage contingent, but the more you listen to it, bolstered as it is by a throbbing club bassline and its sheer clutter, you realise that the weight it adds to Mya's delicate vocals adds real depth to the song.
Anyway, we all know what to do when ex-girlfriends re-emerge don't we? Round up your girls and give the wench a beat-down.
Jacqueline Springer
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