K-Quick Talks: Opening for Legends, Building Legacy, and Staying Rooted in the DMV
January 5, 2026
Kicking off my first interview is DMV based rapper K-Quick
As “the Vocal Bible,” also known as Ms. Brandy Norwood, concludes her co-headlining tour, “The Boy Is Mine,” with Monica, I decided to revisit her 2023 holiday album, “Christmas with Brandy,” for this week’s Second Listen Sunday and to kick off the holiday season.
When we look back over Brandy’s career, it’s pretty surprising that it took her so long to create a Christmas album. When one looks at her discography and work with Rodney Jerkins, the duo could’ve easily crafted a project similar to Alexander O’Neal’s still classic 1988 album “My Gift To You”.
Brandy steps into the holiday lane with the ease of someone who’s been seasoning R&B for three decades. Christmas with Brandy clocks in at a dozen cuts, but it’s the originals that do the real work. Collaborating with producers such as Theron “Neff-U” Feemster, DJ Camper, Kyle Mann, Nasri Atweh, and Adam Messinger from The Messengers, Brandy creates her own holiday canon.
The lead single is a slow-burning invitation titled “Christmas Party for Two,” which could efficiently work as standard R&B bop. While there is a warm grin of a groove on “Christmas Gift,” and the airy optimism of “Somebody’s Waiting.” “Shine Out Your Light” and “Christmas Everyday” are both packed with the kind of uplifting energy that comes naturally to her.
The standout among the original material is “Feels Different.” However, it is the curveball—a mid-tempo heart-warmer that could fit onto any R&B playlist during the summertime and still make perfect sense. Naturally, it’s not a Christmas album without a few covers of the classics.
With ease, Brandy gives the iconic songs a reshaping with
her unmistakable phrasing—stacked harmonies, conversational runs, and a tone that somehow glows and sighs at the same time. Her “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” feels like a fireside check-in with an old friend. “Santa Baby,” “The Christmas Song,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Deck the Halls” all have a modern shimmer.
But the real holiday treat is her take on “Someday at Christmas”. Brandy’s version carries the ache, hope, and soul of the original without ever mimicking it. While Rodney Jerkins doesn’t participate, this ball plays like a holiday evening spent with someone who knows when to toast, when to laugh, and when to let the silence breathe.
“Christmas with Brandy” lands as a welcome addition to the modern holiday stash—smooth, spirited, and unmistakably hers.
Final Grade: B
“Christmas with Brandy” is available on all streaming platforms.
Kicking off my first interview is DMV based rapper K-Quick
On the morning of February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis walked into a mortgage office in Indianapolis convinced the system had finally turned on him. What followed was one of the most unsettling media spectacles of the decade: a 63-hour hostage standoff in which Kiritsis literally wired a sawed-off shotgun to both his victim’s neck and his own chest. It was desperation theater, broadcast live, raw and ugly, and fueled by a man who believed grievance was the same thing as righteousness.
Eric Benét’s holiday album, “It’s Christmas”, finds the four-time Grammy nominee embracing comfort rather than challenge. He delivers a collection that is impeccably sung and tastefully arranged, though it ultimately feels a bit too cautious for an artist of his talent and history.