Babyface
Forget Barry Manilow: Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds really does write the songs the whole world sings. His tunes have scored million-selling hits for everyone from Whitney Houston to Boyz II Men and TLC, while Eric Clapton has a Babyface-produced song, "Change the World," currently on the charts. As befitting one who has singlehandedly rescued R&B songcraft in the 1990s, The Day, Babyface's fourth solo album, is loaded with finely honed, plush melodies that immediately sink into your consciousness. Even when he teeters on the brink of saccharine, his love songs have the feel of old, familiar favorites. Featuring superstar guest turns by Mariah Carey (on the soaring "Every Time I Close My Eyes"), Clapton (playing slinky guitar lines on "Talk to Me") and Stevie Wonder (who cowrote and plays harmonica on the anthemic "How Come How Long"), The Day, undeniably romantic and defiantly passionate, finds Babyface at his best, which translates to mean urban music at its finest. (EPIC)
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