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I listened to “Phases: A Memoir” by Brandy Norwood. I enjoyed the book. I liked Brandy more after listening to this audio book. She comes across as professional, level headed, straight forward and trustworthy.

Brandy has a career that started in the 1990s. I knew about a lot of her accomplishments and I think I forgot about others. There were things I learned about her work in this book. The book is a little long but it’s warranted. Words were not wasted and the book never felt like Brandy was trying to meet a word count. I actually think she edited out some things. For instance, “Phases: A Memoir” didn’t mention Brandy’s appearance on “Dancing with the Stars”. I was a bit disappointed by that.

Brandy talked about her trials of working in the music industry as well as ups and downs in her personal life. Some of the stories involved well known people. Brandy didn’t bad mouth anyone or come across as vengeful. She was matter of fact. She didn’t try to illicit sympathy or push any agendas (for the most part). Brandy said her piece and let the listener/reader come to their own conclusions. The way she told her story gave her credibility.

Brandy discussed her personal life as it overlapped her career. She talked about being a child with show business ambitions, family life and maturing in the spot light. Brandy talked about her relationships with men. Her first boyfriend was Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men. And becoming a mom.

This is a great book for anyone interested in the music industry. Brandy talks a lot about the business of making music and the skill and craft of singing. She is very professional. It’s a good book for pop and R&B music fans. And it’s a walk down memory lane of 90s and early 00s pop culture. It’s a worthwhile read/listen.