Customer Reviews

Level II

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The album of the decade..or century.just when we were losing faith in R&B this is a phat slice of phunk with the perfect mix between hard tracks and seasoned ballads that the industry has needed. Neptunes, Jerkins, Puffy eat your heart out..it turns out TEDDY RILEY IS BACK AS THE KING OF PRODUCERS. Untouchable ...sorry guys its over..Black street r bak.

With all the bad reviews going around about this album it needs to be said that this album is accually very good. It sounds more like another level than finally did, and is a big improvement on finally (proberly because mark middleton is back with them). Teddy Rileys production is nice the whole way thru, with more ballards than club songs. Best songs on would be "ticket to ride", "deep", "its so hard to say goodbye", "why, why?", "how we do", "bygones" and "fly" (which is on the UK version). Bygones is a nice reunion with dave hollister, although he should do more than just the background singing! i think the worst thing about the album is "wizzy wow", it just doesnt suite blackstreet and the beat is terrible! Its nice to see them making good music again after the disapointing finally, but were still waiting for an album to match another level.

For the last 15 years, Teddy Riley has been one of r&b's most innovative tunesmiths. As one of the creators of New Jack Swing, Riley has enjoyed a winning streak of hits with Guy ("Groove Me"), Wreckx-N-Effect ("Rump Shaker") and his latest creation, Blackstreet. But while Blackstreet has put out some killer singles ("No Diggety," "Booti Call," "Girlfriend/Boyfriend"), their albums are, for the most part, frustratingly unsatisfying. On average, you'll find on their CDs 3 or 4 excellent cuts weighed down by a heap of subpar filler. But on "Level II," Riley gets it right and the result is his most consistent groove yet. Though far from perfect, there's some fun to be had by all, with the songs leaning from neo New Jack tracks to suave ballads, with a few touches of hip hop (check out Mystikal on the closer "Wizzy Wow"). The libido spirals out of control in the funked-up "She's Hot," while the it-ain't-whatchu-think "Friend of Mine" is a tight groove that stands out pretty well. The sampling yields mixed results, though. It works with the mid-tempo "Why Why," which makes good use of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature." But it doesn't work with the ballad "Look in the Water," which lazily steals the hook of Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years." Yet, at a concise 61 minutes, "Level II" doesn't wear out its welcome, and it's overall a pretty good album that's one notch above the predictability of mainstream r&b.

It's been years since BLACKstreet's last cohesive effort. (This does not include 'Finally' in 1999...which was far from a good album) In the last five years, Teddy Riley has gone from a bad BLACKstreet lineup change/album(Terrell Philips replaced Mark Middleton on 'Finally'), a failed Guy reunion, a not-so-Invincible Michael Jackson album, a bankruptcy stage and now this: the return of the 'Another Level' era BLACKstreet (their most successful lineup to date)

What keeps this album from being better than good is that there is no real outstanding material. "Don't Touch" samples The Commodores' "Brick House", but that's all it does. You can only endure the beginning of "Wizzy Wow", owner of a largely annoying and lazy hook(I think Wizzy was supposed to be the 21st century version of 'No Diggity' but whatever). The good tracks are the ballads: the haunting "Look In The Water", the Human Nature-sampled "Why? Why?", the acoustic "Bygones", the sweet "How We Do", and the mid-tempo "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye".

There's no denying Teddy Riley's impact as an innovator/producer, or for that matter, the talents of Chauncey Hannibal, Eric Williams and Mark Middleton (who should've never left the fold in '98). But this effort lacks the luster that should take them higher than "Level II". TR is still a talented producer, and it remains to be seen whether he or BLACKstreet can re-capture their late-90's glory. Furthermore, question: how can Teddy keep this BLACKstreet lineup together this time around? Answer: a comeback hit or a great album. No Diggity.

This new one from blackstreet is a solid cd mixed with a few filler tracks but good enough to satisfy fans and maybe make some new ones. I think they could have came a lil stronger on this one since I wasent even expecting a new one from them. Its seems that time has taken the toll on teddy and it might be near the end. Blackstreet was and will always be one of my favorite R+B groups ...so in the end its good to see them at least out again. Now even though there are a few filler tracks ...there are some really good ones. Tracks Like:

*Tickets to Ride
*Dont Touch
*Deep
*ooh girl
*You Made me --(very tight song......listen to the words)
*Its so hard to say goodbye
*Why Why
*How we do
*Bygones
*Brown Eyes

These songs right here to me are the highlight of the album. Wizzy Wow could have been left off the album in place of something else but overall its a solid album. I dont think anything will ever match what they did with the "Another level" album. That one in my opinion will always be level II while this one is still lingering on the same level. overall fans and non-fans will want to give it a listen. Dont let the bad reviews steer you complelty away. There is something here for most everyone.......Listen and find out.

Blackstreet was one of the most promisng R&B groups of the nineties but why they decided to change their image into R&B thugs is questionable to me. Level II was one of the worst R&B cd's ever released and only has two good songs the opener Ticket To Ride and the slow jam Deep. Other wise skip this one.

I am an ODU student in Norfolk, Va who first would like to say that Blackstreet was, still, and always will be my favorite R&B group! Level II is okay, however it was not what I was expecting. Just like the 1994 release, I have to flip around too much for a favorite song. But, much better than Finally in 1999! The songs I like are: Ticket to Ride, Deep, You made me, It's so hard to say goodbye, Why, Why, Look in the water, Baby you're all I want, How we do, and Brown Eyes! All of these songs mentioned are similar to most of Another Level songs where I could just play from begining to end without flipping to find a favorite song. I expected similar songs just like the Another Level album, which in my opinion still ranks as the best! I love slow love songs and the computerized voices. That's one thing that I like about Blackstreet are the computerized voices. I hope that they release a new album soon to prove all those negative reviews wrong. Mark Middleton should not leave the group again! He has a really good voice and I am so glad that he's back! It is very noticable to hear him! If you were a fan of Blackstreet, you still will like the new album.

BLACKSTREET- LEVEL II
The New Jack Swing is back! Well sort of. Teddy Riley is gonna go down as one of the all-time greatest producers but also probably one of the all time greatest control freaks. He ruined two groups because of this tragic flaw. I guess all of the great ones have to have some kinda fault. In any case somehow someway Teddy convinced his Blackstreet homie's to come in and record the groups 4th set, LEVEL II. If you really think about it when has Teddy done a bad CD? Never in my mind but anytime someone is gone soooooo long you have to wonder if they still have it. The CD starts with the Intro "Ticket To Ride". Nice Intro to let you know Teddy is still Teddy. Track 2 "Don't Touch" is an uptempo cut featuring Mr. Cheeks and uses the Commodores "Brick House" sample. The horns sound real good on this one. Track 3 "She's Hot" is another nice lil uptempo cut. Uses a hook from the R.Kelly/Jay Z cut "Shorty". Pretty explicit cut. Track 4 "Deep" is the lead single. Nice self explanatory song about what they can do between the sheets. Teddy signature Vocoder is all over this cut. I'm not feelin Track 6 "Friend Of Mine" but it's the beginning to a section of the CD that's basically a story about the ups and downs of a broken relationship. It rolls into an interlude and starts taking shape on Track 8 "You Made Me". Very nice mellow cut. This leads into "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye". Decent song. Track 10 "Why, Why" may be my favorite cut. It loops(not samples) Michael Jackson's "Human Nature". Very nice mellow, Blackstreet type song. Track 11 "Look In The Water" samples Simply Red's "Holdin Back The Years". Very nice..Track 12 "Baby Your All I want" takes you back to some of the first Blackstreet classics. Track 13 "How We Do" is the typical blame it on her girlfriends type jam. Kinda tired of these cuts. On Track 14 "Bygones" Dave Hollister makes a cameo..Very nice..Pretty much acoustic for the most part. Track 17 "Wizzy Wow" is an upbeat banger that I am definitely feelin. Mystikal makes an appearance on this cut but my head was bobbin way before he comes on the track. Teddy, like all great producers, will have excellent production on his projects. You hear every instrument and crescendo. Put that with some good tracks and you get a good CD. My favorite tracks were 1-4,8-12,14 and 17.

Blackstreet makes an ultimate come back with Level II. Its an R&B album that parallels the likes of their counterparts Dru-Hill, yet is unmistakably characterized by a style thats uniquely their own. Dont touchfeaturing the Mr. Cheeks (who by the way is hot right now) is fastly becoming my favorite. The CD narrates everyday boy/girl drama. Teddy Riley truly outdid himself this time! The rhythms are so on point they sound calculated. The group has a collective harmony similar to Boyz to Men and with this CD they really let us hear what they can do! There are a few hip-hop tracks but overall this CD has

It has been a while since their last CD. It is nice to hear their song again. This is an excellent album with great songs. This album has slow to mellow songs. It is a mix of R&B and POP. Once you pop the cd in the stero you won't want to skip any songs because it is all too good to skip. If you are a blackstreet fan, you will definitely like this album. If you are not a fan, you should get it too because it is an album you don't want to miss.