Fear of Flying (Bonus Tracks)

Album Review

In late 2000, pop songbird Mya's second album, Fear of Flying, was re-released with two different tracks, "Free" and "Again & Again." The tracks which were replaced were "For the First Time" and "No Tears on My Pillow." The final result is a much improved album. The two discarded songs were forgettable, tepid ballads, thankfully replaced with infinitely superior up-tempo numbers. Upon initial release, the album seemed to be suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump. The first single, "The Best of Me," arguably the best song on the album and one of the better pop songs of 2000, under-performed on the charts, not even making it into the pop Top 40. The follow-up, "Case of the Ex," proved to be a different matter. The label intelligently issued a commercial single for the song, which helped propel it to number two, and in turn solidified the album as a hit. As that song was riding high on the charts, the album was reissued with the different tracks. While the first version of the album was heavily weighted with tepid ballads, the second version is much livelier, and, in essence, much better. "Free" is a Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis composition, in a similar vein to Control-era Janet Jackson, and the album's third single, "Again & Again," is a rock-tinged song, adding much needed muscle to the album. The song order was changed, to much better results, because the ballads were saved for the first version's bitter end, leaving the listener lost and bored. So consumers and Mya fans beware — to avoid unnecessary disappointment be sure to buy the second version of Fear of Flying. ~ Jose F. Promis, Rovi