Released on 02/08/04
Label: Mercury

Zena’s no stranger to glitz and glamour of the music industry. The 23 year-old Birmingham dancer turned singer has strutted her stuff behind Busta Rhymes, was in the original line-up of Mis-Teeq and has since been in LA impressing the likes of Ja Rule and Bobby Brown so much that they both gave her cameo appearances in videos.

Whatever it was about Zena that so impressed Rule and Brown, it probably wasn’t “Been Around The World”.

A minimum effort R&B smooch, built on a barely there groove and a melody certain to underwhelm, it gives new meaning to forgettable. Instead of attempting to wow with her Ashanti-lite - and that’s saying something – vocals, Zena plays backing singer to future dancehall star Vybz Kartel as he babbles on about how lovely she is. Aside from the odd ‘ohh’ and ‘yeah’ she only actually turns up for the chorus, and that’s so thin it was hardly worth the effort.

Coy Janet Jackson was the aim. Yawning disinterest is the result.

    by Dan Gennoe