Customer Reviews

Face 2 Face

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Although, Babyface has released 3 CDs, sice 1996's, "The Day", 1997's, "MTV Unplugged", 1998's, "Christmas with Babyface" and last year's, "A Collection Of Hits", "Face 2 Face" is Babyface's 1st full length release in 5 years. As a r&b music fan of slow jams, Babyface is one of my favorite artists to listen to when I want to listen to a good slow jam. "Soon As I Get Home", "Where Will You Go", "Whip Appeal", "Never Keeping Secrets", "I Said I Love You", "Everytime I Close My Eyes" and 2000's, "Reason For Breathing" have always been favorites of mine. Babyface is known for a distinct style and that is usually good love making music that's smooth and occasionally you'll get an uptempo track to go with the slow jams and the midtempo songs. All of his full length CDs in my collection have impressed me: "Tender Lover", "For The Cool In You " and "The Day". With "Face 2 Face", Babyface is taking a different route this time. This CD is totally different from anything that he has released previously. The prime example of this is the 1st single, "There She Goes". This Neptunes' track is off the wall. This is definitely his best uptempo track ever. Babyface does things falsetto style and it brings pleasant results. Babyface fans that aren't used to this may not enjoy this song at all. This one was made just for the clubs and is not like any uptempo song he has done previously. His 2nd single, "What If" is more of what people are use to from him. It's a nice slow jam that talks about how things may have been or could still be with one of his ex-girlfriends. This is vintage Babyface and is definitely one of the best songs on this CD. A track that you would have never expected, "Baby's Mama" w/Snoop Dogg, has Babyface telling a man that he should pay more attention to his responsibilities as a father instead of worrying about who his baby's mama is dating and trying to get back together with her. The song makes a good point and Snoop delivers as usual on the rap. The only things that his fans will have to get use to are his overuse of the falsetto tone and the fact that Babyface is using a little foul language. When I think of Babyface, I think of smooth and sensual r&b music and although he does hold true to that on some somgs, you have to get use to some of the subject matter on some songs. Other highlights include the nice slow jam, "With Him", "I Keep Callin'", "Wish U Was My Girl" and the nice "How Can U Be Down". In the latter song, Babyface tells a tale about a woman that is trying to be down with him that his woman knows. She is seductively trying to work her way into Babyface's pants and he rejects her since he is with someone. I like this CD and I would give it 4.5 stars and not 5. If you are a Babyface fan, buy this CD and listen to it 2 or 3 times and it will grow on you. I promise.

I have every cd Babyface has released. I go back to his Manchild days, and then to the Deele. I was so disappointed with this. Babyface using profanity is not something that I ever thought I'd hear. There are 3 or 4 songs worth listening to; What if, how can you be down, baby's mama (maybe), and with him. Else, this is without question the worst cd Babyface ever released.

I remember this album when I was in the 9th grade. I love this album but most people did not but I don't care. This album is enjoyable showing a diverse side of him. This album boldly presents a Babyface not heard before. This album features Babyface who has never had a problem crafting a hit record on his own. The result is an exhilarating, ambitious Face who pushes the musical envelope and fabulously redesigns himself in the arduius process. The album features him on guitar,keyboards and bass guitar and sonically,it is the warmest record ever. This album should have been promoted more. Remember,this was 2001.

I admit that was expecting a CD with Babyface's classic slow songs, but surprisingly I found a CD with a more upbeat approach. While it's different from what you might expect from Babyface, the album is still good and worth buying. I like every song on the CD expect for three, "Baby's Mama, How Can U Be Down, and Lover and Friend" just don't work for me. Yeah, I would have loved for the CD to have a few more slow songs on it, but nonetheless "With Him" is definitely a stand out.

If there's one gripe I have about this CD, and it's something I've been noticing on other artist's CDs as well, it's the use of cuss words. It appears nowadays that a lot of artists are "sliding" in a few cuss words in their albums. While obviously the use of cuss words are not enough to warrant a "Parental Advisory" sticker, I still find it rather puzzling and surprising when artists that never used profanity in their lyrics before are now slipping in a few cuss words on their albums today. Babyface uses the "S" word a few times throughout CD, and it really is something that is not needed on the CD. As he has already proven, Babyface is wonderful song writer, and so he is way above using profanity to get his point across.

Even though this album came out on a very tragic day in American history on 9/11, this album still holds up as one of Babyface's best. I was surprised that he had the Neptunes produce a few songs, for this superstar pairing of Face, Pharrell and Hugo was way overlooked that year. The songs were unbelievably funky! Stressed Out is as funky as 'Face's It's No Crime and Can't Stop My Heart! The Baby Mama song with Snoop Dogg shows Babyface at his most aggressive as he goes after a woman who doesn't do her part of taking care of the baby. His most explicit, but Babyface turns the tables on this one and goes after the woman who did him wrong. It shows he can take chances with his songs and not just be limited to his trademark romantic ballads. But Babyface's own songs have a lot of melody and rhythm, as he's always done. Even he plays acoustic guitar on a few songs. The one ballad that was a hit is still one of his best post-Epic period records. Why people overlooked Babyface's album is beyond me as this still shows stronger vocals from him.

OK, nobody, I mean, noooobooody saw this 'Face coming. I heard the first single, "There She Goes", and I thought it was crazy slammin'. I admire Babyface for stepping out and trying different sounds. For years, we were all so used to the same, repetitive ballad formula from 'Face that it became bland. But "Face2Face" is an experiment in R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul and jazz, and it's not bad after a few listens.

The different producers show their styles alongside 'Face. My favorites are "There She Goes" and "Stressed Out"(both produced by the Neptunes), "Outside In/Inside Out" (laced by Mike City, who did Brandy's hit, "Full Moon"), "I Keep Callin'" (co-produced by 'Face and Heavy D) and the acoustic "With Him".

At first, classic Babyface fans may feel disappointed b/c of his change in style (the newly donned 'fro, the shades, the slightly buffed physique, and the sound), but a couple of spins in your CD player should tell you that 'Face is simply trying new sounds as well as adding his classic ballads. "Face2Face" is a decent effort by Babyface...can't wait for his next album.

This album is nothing like babyface, I love all his albums and own each one of them. Maybe the kids will like this album because it is that r&b music you hear on the radio 24/7. I was very dissapointed :(

I've been a fan of Face's romantic, heartfelt ballads...but this album gave fans something new. At first, yes, I was a little taken back & a little disappointed. But I actually like "Face 2 Face" & think he has done a good job with this style. There are a few ballads here as well, my favorite being "With Him". I especially love the opening track, "There She Goes" (how could that NOT get you movin'?!), "Stressed Out" & "Lover & Friend" - there's some impressively funky beats. Overall, it's an upbeat CD to groove to, with a few slower tracks & a few tracks I don't particularly care for. I feel like Face was still being his same sincere self on this album, he just decided to cut loose & up the tempo a little.

I have been a Face fan since Cool In You (you can't expect me to have been a fan since his earliest albums since I would have only been four or less) so I must admit that when I heard "There She Goes", I was alarmed that his whole album would be like that. However, I was very glad to see some classic Babyface underneath a slightly funk-infused surface.

Face has not really changed his formula much, he is just adding more facets to his style. By adding a sly falsetto and a slightly jerky way of singing (as seen in What If and I'm Still In Love With U) Babyface is making his music more interesting and not just following a formula note for note. It isn't really up-tempo, it is just the arrangement is slighty more dense than usual. Even his faster songs seem to be more in a Marvin Gaye vein than Sisqo's all-sound-the-same-and-drums-are-everything Thong Song (...).

Another thing that annoys me is that people accepted R Kelly's new Thug approach yet they can't except Babyface. People are saying that he wants to be a bad boy. Well, have you heard his lyrics? Besides the odd coarse language in some songs, Face is still the good guy of R & B.

My favourites and What If, I Keep Callin', With Him, Wish U Was My Girl, U Should Know and Still In Love With U. The other songs are also good except perhaps Baby's Mama (Snoop actually does an excellent job, but face seems out of place here) and Work It Out.

All in All a great effort. I say, if you really want to know how this album sounds, make up your own mind. Be open-minded when listening and understand that an artist can grow.

This paragraph was added in after repeatedly listening to the CD and It had grown even more on me. So, instead of giving it four stars, I will be giving it five. Well done Face, well done.

I consider myself a pretty big Babyface fan. And over the years I've gotten very comfortable with the "face" ballads. But I must say that I really like what he has done in "There She Goes" & "I Keep Callin'", too. I read an interview where he said that he wanted to break away from the love ballad mode he's been stuck in for so long with this release, and personally I can't fault the brotha for that. I mean, when you look at it, expecting a Luther Vandross to always sing love songs, an LL Cool-J to rap, or a Peter Gabriel to do what it is Peter Gabriel does is in essence musical typecasting.

I can only imagine, as I'm certain many others can, the frustration and opposition an actor must face when he or she tries to show the world that they can do more than just deliver a good punch line. But that they can also act with great depth and emotion. They strive against all odds to get a second "break" into the hearts of the American media.

What I'm saying is that we shouldn't do the same thing to our vocal artists. If Babyface wants to explore another "face" than the one he's been showing his listening audience forever, then let him. I say he's entitled to experiment with his style. I know I'd hate it if I were to come out of the barber shop with a new haircut that I think suits me just as well, if not better, than the one I had been wearing the past 5 years and my friends all said, "go back to the REAL you". I'd say to them, "but this is the REAL me too."

All the songs aren't great. Heck, only a few are. Another handfull are nice to quite pleasing. The remaining 2 or 3, well... Bottom line, I don't think he's changed his style just to keep up with the times. He's just lettin' the rest of us in on a vibe he's been feelin' for quite some time.

Flow on, Face.