Mostly light and easygoing, though not without its fair share of female-male drama (and a couple touches of humor), it's capped off by a great dancefloor track in the form of "She's International," showing that he needn't necessarily stick to ballads with acoustic guitars. Written with longtime partner Daryl Simmons and produced with relative newcomer Gregg Pagani ( LeAnn Rimes, Will Smith), Grown & Sexy doesn't have any songs that immediately jump out and fall in line with the biggest hits, but it does make up for that with its consistency. While this is very familiar territory, few cover it as well. Those who were left disappointed by that album will probably be happy to have the Face of old back with Grown & Sexy, a back-to-basics album that sounds a lot more natural in comparison. He was either tired of doing the expected or was attempting to appeal to more than the thirty- and fortysomethings (or both). Many critics and fans found it to be a desperate act of some form, containing several stabs at with-it youthfulness that would've sounded out of character on his early albums with the Deele, not to mention something he put together almost 20 years later. Not everyone was left convinced by Babyface's previous solo album, 2001's Face2Face. ^ "Japanese album certifications – ベイビーフェイス – face2face" (in Japanese).^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001".^ "Babyface Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)".^ "Babyface Chart History ( Billboard 200)"."Consumer Guide Album: Babyface: Face2Face". "Record Rack: A Strong Crop in Fall's First Harvest". "MUSIC REVIEW: Face2Face: Kenneth Babyface Edmonds". "September 11th, 2001 Was a "Super Tuesday" of Album Releases". ^ "Babyface tries being 'Grown & Sexy' ".Then there are the ballads that he's always excelled at – they're just as good here, but they not only offer good contrast, they sound better in this context, surrounded by such exquisite dance numbers and grooves Babyface has never been in better form, and from beginning to end, this record captures him at the peak of his powers." Track listing Critical reception Professional ratings Review scoresĪllmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Face2Face "a gleaming, stylish platter of urban funk and smooth soul that is easily among his very best records Though he's dabbled in funk since the beginning of his career, the grooves here cut deeper and are flashier than ever before, and the sweet croon of his voice just makes them seem deeper. It was released alongside other recordings such as Slayer's God Hates Us All, Jay-Z's The Blueprint, Dream Theater's Live Scenes from New York, Mariah Carey's Glitter, Fabolous's Ghetto Fabolous and Nickelback's Silver Side Up. Face2Face is notable for being one of a few albums released on the same day as the September 11 attacks. Reviews of the album were mixed, as critics and fans did not know what to make of Babyface's new musical direction. About: Face2Face (Babyface album) dbr:ThereSheGoes(Babyfacesong) dbr:WhatIf(Babyfacesong) Work It Out (en) Stressed Out (en) Babys Mama (en) Dont. Producers on the album included Tim & Bob, Heavy D, The Neptunes, Diggin' in the Crates producer Buckwild, Brian McKnight's associate producer Anthony Nance and Dan Reed Network member Brion James. The album was a radical departure from his previous works, as the balladeer was focused on more uptempo songs.įace2Face was also different due to Babyface working with outside producers on roughly half of the album. Reid who was the president of the label at the time of the album's release. His first album in five years after 1996's The Day, it also marked Babyface's first album with Arista, which reunited him with his former songwriting and production partner L.A. It was released by Nu America and Arista Records on September 11, 2001, in the United States. Face2Face is the fifth studio album from R&B singer Babyface.
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