Faith Evans : Releases >>
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The Fighting Temptations >>
Faith >>
Keep the Faith >>
If Faith Evans's self-titled debut was inexplicably entwined in the rise of the Bad Boy empire, her eagerly anticipated follow-up, Keep the Faith, has been further steeped in the history of hip-hop--before anyone heard a note. There are plenty of ballads here ("No Way" and "Lately I" being the best), and Evans doesn't hesitate to mine her emotional turmoil for lyrical material, but it's the welcome inclusion of sublime mid-tempo grooves ("Sunny Days," "Life Will Pass You By") and party jams like "All Night Long" that make this album a sure-fire classic. Forget the hype and enjoy the sound of Evans's gospel-trained voice riding the old-school beats in the addictive "Love Like This." The most interesting thing about this album is not Evans's personal trials but that despite them, her voice is still as sweet as the caramel kisses she sings about. --Rebecca Wallwork
The First Lady >>
Faith Evans, wife of the late Biggie Smalls, has probably seen more sympathy in her 10 bumpy years in the recording business than she knows what to do with. But that doesn't curb our compulsion to cheer over her latest triumph, The First Lady, her debut release on Columbia after stepping away from Bad Boy Records, is a hoot-and-holler worthy affair that has nothing to do with misplaced pity. Out she storms on opener "Goin' Out Tonight" with Pharrell and Pusha T, thrusting her graceful but sturdy voice over a propulsive, hand-clappy beat. In the space of a single track, she's navigating the Motown-ish thumps and funky guitar riffs of the first single, "Again," to lay bare the facts behind her 2004 stint in rehab. Throughout, Evans' breathy voice seems incapable of jumping the groove—here's an R&B princess with a jazz diva's sense of timing—and on songs like "Mesmerized" she slinks into a `70s soul place that leaves us wishing we could time-travel together more often. Tacked to the end for fans who discovered Evans via the Coach Carter soundtrack is her collaboration with Twista from that film, the hip-hop track "Hope." --Tammy La Gorce
Way Out West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection, Vol. 2 >>
The Magnificent Westerns >>
One Hundred Greatest TV Themes >>
Resurrection >>
How do you separate this release from the rest in the posthumous Tupac cottage industry? Quite easily, actually. Resurrection is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, so it does not feature slapped together re-mixes with producers that flaunt below-average beat portfolios. The album does have its share of sketchy moments, starting with the five-second "Intro," which has Tupac mumbling "…now this is the next level with this new album." The idea of stitching together castaway Tupac vocal snippets is nothing new to his estate, and this collection contains four previously unreleased tracks, two amply re-tooled by Eminem ("Ghost," "One Day at a Time") and the other two being duets with Notorious B.I.G. ("Runnin'") and thug du jour 50 Cent ("The Realest Killaz"). Where this compilation differs from the rest, however, is that it culls together music from different stages of Tupac's development, from his pubescent days accessorizing Digital Underground's funk-fuelled sound ("Same Song") to the days where his persecution complex set in ("Starin' Through My Rear View"). Resurrection is executive produced by his mother Afeni, so the motivation behind it is legitimate--for those still skeptical about the modern day Tupac cash grab. --Dalton Higgins
Faithfully >>
Sadness is etched in Faith Evans's smoky vocals, an underpinning of regret and the blues that gives her a vulnerability and realness that's compelling. That hint of heartache is perfectly suited for love-lost midtempo ballads, like her 1995 hit "You Used to Love Me," and in many ways Evans (once married to the late Notorious B.I.G.) is a modern-day torch singer. Yet like Mary J. Blige, her sister in sorrow, Evans has added more uptempo rhythm to her moody mix, as evidenced by the thumping first single off her third CD. Set to a banging, West Coast-style beat, "You Gets No Love" (produced by newcomer Michelangelo Saulsberg) is club ready and playful, yet Evans's wistful tone is almost overwhelmed by the bounce. That's why the strongest songs on this satisfying CD are cuts like the lush "I Love You" and the stand-by-your-man anthem "Do Your Time," both coproduced by P. Diddy. She can sing just about anything, but when Evans lets her love light simmer, she creates a smoldering flame. --Amy Linden
Resurrection >>
