112 - "Room 112" Bad Boy | |
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This group have been around for a minute, possessing
a squeaky clean image, a contradiction despite
being on a label called Bad Boy. They dropped a solid
album two years ago, and have followed up with another
solid opus. Recent credits for this soulful foursome
include vocals on Faith's "Caramel Kisses" and many
people will also remember them on songs like Puffy's
"I'll Be Missing You", Big's "Sky's the Limit", and the
big dance-floor filler from their album, "Only You", which
still gets the job done.
The lead-off single re-introducing everyone to 112 is the Mase-featuring "Love Me", a mid-tempo cut that is great to chill to, but not the same kind of addictiveness as the afore-mentioned "Only You" for the club. Instead, look for "The Only One" with Lil Kim if you wanna heat it up with the bass-heavy arrangement, and Kim puttin' in the work with her usual feisty flow to add the rap break, though the Puffy "uh uh" has become tiresome long before now. Another track merging hip hop with R&B is "Whatcha Gonna Do", this time trying something more adventurous than the usual by inviting the South's MJG to spit some rhymes. The song shows how they can change the lead singer whenever they feel, as they are all talented singers, and the tinkling piano is addictive, this is probably the pick of the crop of the rap-featuring songs on here. Another party attempt makes its way onto the album in the shape of "Never Mind", using the same sample OC had on "Dangerous", but turns out to be ok, nothing special. These examples, though, show how much modern R&B has been trapped into a rut, where the chorus is repeated so many times, and the rap is really there just to break the monotony, the rhymes are rarely insightful or anything more than money or sex orientated. Obviously from the rest of the album is not like this and does show the talent of the group, the harmonies and leads are good throughout. "Crazy Over You" demonstrates this, the butter lead vocals and the vibing of the whole group make a classy slow jam, although the lyrics are gonna be obvious from the title, it is performed very well. Elsewhere we have "Anywhere", a song about having sex wherever, with another rap spot from relative unknown Zane Copeland, Jr. It is sultrily sung, over a shuffling beat. Faith Evans lends vocal support on "For Awhile", bringing back memories of earlier collaborations. The slow track with the clicks, while Faith sings passionately with the usual style that she injects, the backing vocals acting as a backdrop for her to sing over. They both build up to a crescendo over a nice piano piece. The subject matter in this seems to be repeated in "Stay With Me" but is imploring the other half to stay and not leave. This track sounds like it's incorporating a banjo or something! It works though, Puffy utilizing a Shawn Colvin sample. "All My Love" experiments with tablas and similar ethnic instruments, courtesy of Arnold Hennings. The album is solid throughout, revealing the depth of their abilities, with some good soulful tunes, and also a look back at their previous offering in the "Cupid"-like "Funny Feelings". This is a good album, dominated by ballads using mainly generic themes, but done in a polished and soulful fashion. - Roni |
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