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 Well This Sure Isn't A Crime Feb 04, 2010
Solar Records' impact within the R&B community was just starting to dwindle during the late 80's. The careers of Midnight Star,Shalamar and even Babyface's previous band The Deele had dwindled by that time and there were new faces to be had. Teddy Riley was on the scene and by 1988 the hot new R&B on the scene was new jack swing. As many of us know it's a genre that held on such a long time that certain rhythmic aspects of it were naturally starting to draw upon certain clishes. And that would either the formula or downfall,however blurry the differences with Babyfaces own career after this point. However that was not the case here in many ways. This was the second solo Babyface album and really broke the L.A Reid/Babyface production moniker into something that would turn out to be very successful and in a lot of places very unique. At this point,perhaps with his extensive experience in funk bands such as Man Child (in the 70's) and The Deele earlier in the decade this was made had really given him an excellent idea on how to deal with uptempo music. And that is the aspect of his musicallity with which he chooses to begin this album. "It's No Crime" and "Can't Stop My Heart" are both very strong 80's style electro style funk of the style dominating uptempo R&B/funk before the arrival of new jack swing around this time. Both showcase a mixture of classically inspired chord progressions and songwriting. The title song,"Let's Get Romantic" and "My Kinda Girl" are part of a slower variety of groove I'll call "smooth jack";you'll know what I mean when you hear it and it become one of the most imitated (and overused) styles in urban contemporary music in the early/mid 90's. One could assume from listening to these songs,along with his assured vocals that one day Babyface would easily slide into the same sentence as Sam Cooke,Ray Charles,Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson as some of the most innovative singer-songwriters in the pop/R&B/soul/funk ideom. The second half showcases tends to showcase the pros and cons of Babyface's musical concepts. These song present him as a balladeer and,while "Whip Appeal" works well based on his history and it's genuine sexiness there are some issues I have as his tempo lowers. Well written or not,fact is Babyface ballads can be very bland a syrupy mainly because he crossess so many x's and dots so many I's in his productions that the sound often lays there flat as a pancake. It's more of a fact than a criticism as this sound served him commercially well and even on the sugary "Soon As I Get Home" he can still write and sing a song to death. We'd already faced this with Lionel Ritchie so I suppose it's a matter of taste but this "fast half/slow half" album....has music for everyone but at the same time won't PLEASE everyone through and through. It's what he built is career on in an ironic sense but also what sets him apart from the greats in R&B he based his music on in the first place. This is a good album to see what the whole Babyface phenomenon was all about because it contains a mix of funk and (sometimes uneven) balladry. Opinions might continue to very but at least here you have someone who shows and,for the moment utilizes potential.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Almost Flawless Dec 14, 2008
Let me put this out there first. I became a fan of Face after I stumbled upon his first solo effort 'Lovers'. I thought that was a very impressive piece of work because it was unlike anything I heard before. With that being said, I was looking forward to hearing more from Face. His work in producing with LA Reid was recognizable as they produced many songs with artists like the Whispers, Bobby Brown, Karen White, the Boys, Sheena Easton, etc.
So he drops this album, Tender Lover, and I have to get it. It's an album that could have released just about every song as a single but I think only four or five were released. In different parts of the country r&b radio stations would play songs on this album that wasn't released as a single. I remember hearing Let's Be Romantic while I was in Louisiana. Yes, it's that good.
Now if you are a person that prefers today's brand of music where you 'crank this' or 'bust that' then maybe this isn't your cup of tea. Face was grown and sexy with this almost 20 years before he dropped Grown and Sexy. And yes, I thought Soon As I Get Home was sappy but it was still a good song.
The good thing about purchasing this on cd now is that you will get extra songs like the 12" version of My Kinda Girl and the video version of Whip Appeal which was only available to dj's back in the day.
This is Face's best work in my mind. Period.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Trineda's Babyface review Dec 01, 2008
This cd was a gift and it arrive on time, in good condition and the recipient loved it.
One Of The Best...... May 13, 2008
This is one of my favorite albums.I love every single song on this CD.A great one to add to your collection,the songs still sound fresh--and I had Tender Lover on cassette!Pick this one up if you haven't already.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
The sultan of love songs!!!!! Aug 02, 2007
Babyface is a true balladeer. All of his songs clearly exemplifies that he is a true lover. I love the way he captures emotions, and the way that he writes. His voice is also soothing too. Two of my favorite songs on this album are Given A Chance, and Where Will You Go. I will forever be a lifelong Babyface fan.
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