Faith Evans

The First Lady is half funky soul strut, half R&B flutter, with Faith Evans clearly encouraging the contrast. In an A-side/B-side split, tracks from "Again" to "Jealous" -- including, notably, "I Don't Need It" -- impress in the former camp, while those from "Ever Wonder" onwards very much conform to the latter.

Faith Evans is best known as Notorious B.I.G.'s widow, but she consistently proves she
deserves serious props as a singer -- her voice has a lived-in grace that you don't hear from
a lot of competitive wailers on the R&B charts. Her fourth album celebrates Evans' freedom
from P. Diddy's Bad Boy label with a classier, classic-minded variant on her usual club
anthems and groove ballads. With its smooth guitar intro and big beats, "Again" p... More >