Customer Reviews

Sunny Days

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Back in '97, Allure stepped on the stage of the Keenan Ivory Wayans show singing a song called "Head Over Heels", a song that sounded like it should have been on Mariah Carey's Butterfly album. They sounded good, but needed a bit of polish. Their debut album came out soon after and spawned four singles - "Heels", "No Question", "All Cried Out", and "Last Chance". After seeing them on Vibe singing the latter, many people thought that Allure would just be no more.

Fast forward four years to November of 2001. Because of the September 11 attacks, Allure's sophomore album was heavily underpromoted by MCA, a label widely known for its lack of promoting good artists while pushing so-so artists to the forefront. It's a shame, for this album could easily be the most overlooked album of 2001.

If you don't have it, get it. Why? Because there is not one song on this album that is a misstep. Allure had a hand in co-writing four songs on this album, versus having a whole album done by Mariah Carey. Also, whereas their debut album showcased safe vocals with sugary mid-range notes, Allure shows true development in their vocal versatility and shows you they can truyl saaang. Not convinced? Check out the song "Earn my Trust", a song that will have you thinking of the old-school song "Have You Seen Her". This song was produced by Full Force and showcases the women's voices wonderfully; easily the best song vocally on the album. "Never Let You Go" has that same effect; sure, the song is a bit cliche' but it flows nicely, and the high note at the end will have you saying "whoa!" A cannot-miss song is "The Shore (Wanna Be Your Lady)", featuring a then-unknown Miri Ben-Ari. The song just has that laid-back feeling with a hint of diva thrown in for good measure.

For more vocal effect, definitely check out the interludes. "Love Me", immediately following "Enjoy Yourself", is beautifully arranged and sung. Akissa starts it off with a nice Spanglish (Spanish and English) voiceover with Hem-Lee cooing in the background. This interlude should have definitely been a full song, for it is impressive. Also, the gospel interlude "Only For A While" shows that harmony that the girls have obviously perfected. This could have easily been performed acappella at any gospel outlet and won rave reviews!

There are some good upbeat joints to dance to. "Enjoy Yourself", the first single, is a nice "I'm-finna'go-out-to-the-club" anthem that will have you bopping your head. And if the intro song "Bump" featuring a nice rap from Nucci Rey O (whoever that is, he still can spit) doesn't get you moving, then you are just a lame! "Kool Wit Me", produced by the AllStars, has the classic AllStars beat and even has some elements of the 80s, but still is a good listen.

Allure definitely came hard with this album. It's just sad that MCA practically dropped this album with barely any mention or promotion. If you don't have this album, pick it up...trust me, you will not be disappointed.

This group is a real representation of how foul the record industry is. As someone on the outside I really can't understand spending money to record an album then not lifting one finger to help promote it. I enjoyed Allure's debut then assumed that they'd broken up since I never heard anything else from them. Imagine my surprise when I found not only this but a third album by this group. Given the promise I heard on their debut, I wasn't surprised that this follow-up continues to showcase their terrific harmonies along with good musical arrangements.

I read one reviewer's comment that compared this group to others who emerged in 2001 when this was released and can't help but feel sad about the comparisons because the groups mentioned were "girls" while the members of this group are "women" so it's kind of like apples & oranges to compare the song content & arrangements. It's also what's so sad about the r&b field from about the late 90's till now - the addition of the hip hop element has made anyone who is trying to sing traditional r&b virtually obsolete.

Anyway this disc features more mid-tempo & ballad tracks but I appreciate this as it allowed me to enjoy the vocal performances more. I think that if I'd known this group was working on a sophomore set, I would've expected more tracks like those on their debut & more input from Mariah Carey but I'm quite satisfied with this album and consider it a good progession from their debut.

The stand-out tracks to me are: SUNNY DAY, EARN MY TRUST, WORE OUT YOUR WELCOME, LADY, CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU & ENJOY YOURSELF.

Pay absolutely no attention to the new york music fan this album is far from stagnent and the songwriting is outstanding. The best tracks have to be Lady & By the shore.
This album was arranged to stir up some emotion,
alright, the vocal arrangements may not be as flawless as those of destiny's child but they are unique, expressing plenty of emotion...
If you think it is more important for artists to express their feelings in their music rather than show off their capabilites then you will defineately love this.

Allure's second album, "Sunny Days" is definitely one of the most slept-on albums in the past few years. These ladies first broke out in '97 with the help of Mariah Carey and Trackmasters. And while their debut spawned a hot first single ("Head Over Heels") 1 Top 10 ("All Cried Out") and moderate hits ("No Question" and "Last Chance"), "Sunny Days" is a more consistent effort from start to finish.

Standout tracks include the catchy "Enjoy Yourself", the infectious "Lady", the exquisite ballad "The Shore (Wanna Be Your Lady)", and the elegant "Never Let You Go".

They may not have had the successful run that Destiny's Child had. (Or did you forget that Allure came out hot in '97, then Destiny's Child came out hot in '98?), but as a collective, Allure is definitely the more mature and the more balanced.

It's just unfortunate that "Sunny Days" did not make the impact it should have. Nevertheless, a better second effort from Allure.

Can't wait for the next album.

This is an incredible album. I accidently opened it and took a
listen and now that I can listen to it, it's a great album.

Bump (feat. Nucci Rey O)
This is a fun, very hip-hop, dancefloor song. This song is also
referred to 'Bounce'. But, anyway,
this is a fun song and really should be a single. Mid-tempo beat,
but the beat BUMPs it's way through your system. Great opener.

Kool Wit Me
The second commercial release off this album. This is a R&B Disco

dancefloor song. It will probably have a good video. Mid-tempo
song but is tied for most upbeat song with BUMP. This speeds up
the energy.

Wore Out Your Welcome
Another mid-tempo song. Most of it was arranged from Lil' Mo, whose album is in stores now. But, going back to the song, it has
a great bridge which opens the few fifteen seconds of the song.
I don't skip over it, but I don't listen to it that much. But it
is a good song.

Enjoy Yourself/Love Me
Enjoy Yourself is a mid-tempo song about partying and having a good time. The first commercial release of the album. A good song. Love Me is an interlude that is beautiful but slow.

Lady
Mid-tempo with a weird beat but good harmonizing

Never Let You Go
Maybe my favorite off the CD because it's slow, touching, and I
hope it's released because it could do very well in relating to
the Sept. 11th WTC Attacks. And more people would buy the CD, because this CD has had a lack of promotion. But this is a great
song, at least listen to the sample, please.

Can't Live Without You
Mid-tempo, but I haven't really listened to it before.

The Shore (Wanna Be Your Lady)
Mid-tempo, but more of upbeat, has a lot of strings, etc. But like Can't Live Without You, I haven't really listened to it, but
I've listened to most of it and I like it!

Earn My Trust
Sounds good, but haven't listened to it.

Only For A While - Interlude
A Good gospel interlude definetely worth checking out. Great interlude.

Sunny Day
A very happy song that you'll most likely love. Very upbeat.

HOPE YOU LOVE THIS CD AS MUCH AS I DO,
Sincerely,
A music fan

This is a good CD but bad promotion.

I AM AN ALLURE FAN AND I THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD FADED AWAY WITH THE WIND BUT WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAD RELEASE SUNNY DAYS I FOUND OUT 8 MONTHS LATER.I RUSH TO THE RESALE CD SHOP TO GRAB IT POP IT IN TO THE CAR AND I LOVE THE FIRST 4 TRACKS BUT AFTER THAT THE CD JUST KIND OF FADE AWAY WITH SLOW TO MIDTEMPLE BALLET THAT ARE VERY BORING.I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED NOT WITH ALLURE BUT WITH THERE RECORD LABEL BECAUSE OF LACK OF PROMOTION.IT SO SAID TO SEE SUCH A GOOD GROUP FADE AWAY.OH I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT I LOVE THE GIRLS NEW LOOK THE CD COVER AND INSIDE IS REALLY HOT.

It's such a poor CD, there are so many better soul girl group's out there. Get En Vougue's Soulflower instead.

I don't know where to begin. This is the worst CD ever! This is the CD you used when you are looking for something to balance an uneven bookshelf. The entire album was fillers. I was very confused about the message behind some of the songs. I can't believe someone signed off on this album. Those people are the ones to blame. Song after song I waited for something to... you know... make me feel that the money I spent for the CD was justified. This CD was very painful to listen to. Believe it or not... they made another cd after this.

As a follow up to mildly successful debut on Crave/Sony Records, the four girls of Allure recently released Sunny Days on MCA Records. After almost 3 years of waiting, I've got to admit that I was expecting to see a vast improvement of song writing quality and vocal arrangements. Unfortunately, Sunny Days fall short on both categories.

In general, the album stagnates in many midtempo songs that all seems to sound like the other. The group bragged about their involvement in the production and the writing and this was perhaps not the best idea. In comparison to recent efforts from Destiny's Child or Blaque or any of the other Female R&B groups, Sunny Days comes across as not quite as hip and not quite as fun and definitely not sexy.

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