Audio CD review:
Babyface - Babyface - A Collection of His Greatest Hits

Babyface - Babyface - A Collection of His Greatest Hits

Band: Babyface Title: Babyface - A Collection of His Greatest Hits Rating: Release Date: 14 November, 2000 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: For The Cool In You 2: It's No Crime 3: Whip Appeal 4: Never Keeping Secrets 5: Every Time I Close My Eyes 6: When Can I See You 7: Reason For Breathing 8: This Is For The Lover In You 9: How Come, How Long 10: Change The World 11: I Love You Babe 12: Soon As I Get Home 13: Where Will You Go 14: When Men Grow Old

Editoral Review From the late '80s to the mid-'90s, no single artist owned the R&B and pop charts with a tighter or more fluid grip than Babyface (and his then partners L. Screw Barry Manilow--it was Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds who really wrote the songs the whole world sings. A. Reid and Darryl Simmons), and this Greatest Hits collection is proof of this singer-songwriter/producer's way with romance and rhythm. The catch is that this CD contains only the smashes Face kept for himself: a definitive collection of the songs he handed to others would constitute a box set. This CD covers his solo efforts, from the tangy "Whip Appeal" to the aching "Every Time I Close My Eyes" and the understated "When Will I See You" (arguably the first R&B acoustic power ballad). With two new cuts and a live version of the Grammy-winning "Change the World," these 14 tracks sum up an era in R&B when wearing one's heart on one's sleeve and reaching for the most nuanced of melodies was an act of creative revolution. Sure, some called his act corny, but, as this CD proves, Babyface made minor classics that sound just as gentle and persuasive today as they did back then. --Amy Linden .. You can see a complete list of all Babyface discography, or go back to the Babyface tabs