98° and Rising
Artist: 98°
Community Score: 8.50

Really, 98° is a great idea for a teen-pop band: take an attractive boy band in the vein of Take That or N'Sync and have them sing Boyz II Men crossed with the Backstreet Boys. 98° followed this formula on their eponymous debut and were more or less successful. However, they've mastered the sound on their second record, 98° and Rising. Like any... Read More

Tyrese
Artist: Tyrese
Community Score: 9.64
The Very Best of Change
Artist: Change

Showcasing a youthful Luther Vandross prior to his solo jaunts, The Very Best of Change surveys the high points of the group's four-record career. This compilation does a very adequate job of chopping away at the filler found on each of its individual records and focuses not only on the hits, but the stronger album tracks that might have gone... Read More

Mya
Artist: Mya
Community Score: 7.38
Cheers 2 U - CLEAN
Artist: Playa

Cheers 2 U is a promising debut from the Southern hip-hop trio Playa. The trio have been part of Da Bassment, a loose collective of producers and musicians headed by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot and Timbaland & Magoo. All of the members of Da Bassment are intent on retaining the grit and soul of classic R&B, but never lose sight of moving... Read More

Cheers 2 U
Artist: Playa
Community Score: 8.50

Cheers 2 U is a promsing debut from the Southern hip-hop trio Playa. The trio have been part of Da Bassment, a loose collective of producers and musicians headed by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot and Timbaland & Magoo. All of the members of Da Bassment are intent on retaining the grit and soul of classic R&B, but never lose sight of moving... Read More

Just a Touch
Artist: Keith Sweat

Keith Sweat keeps coming up with the goods, and Just a Touch continues his string of gold LPs -- rightly so, as all 12 cuts are carefully crafted. "Twisted" took the charts by storm; backed by protégés Kut Klose, the midtempo number includes a cameo rap by Pretty Russ. Guest appearances by Gerald Levert, Aaron Hall, and Buddy Banks give the... Read More

My Way
Artist: Usher
Community Score: 8.57
All Day, All Night
Artist: Changing Faces
Community Score: 10.00

Changing Faces' second album, All Day, All Night, finds the group working a musical territory similar to their debut, namely smooth urban R&B with light hip-hop influences. Although the group's material is wildly uneven, the production is stylish and their vocals are strong, making the weak moments tolerable and the best songs quite attractive.... Read More

Greatest Hits - CAPITOL
Artist: The Whispers
Community Score: 10.00

By the time this was released in 1997, the Whispers had a few compilation albums on the market, but this was better. Greatest Hits covers the group's stint on Dick Griffey's Solar Records during the years 1974-1992 in a coherent fashion. Although this misses the classic "What More Can a Girl Ask For," Greatest Hits makes up for it by including... Read More

Rome
Artist: Rome
Community Score: 8.60
Big Big World
Artist: Emilia
Community Score: 7.70

Refreshing, wide-eyed optimism best describes this debut recording from Emilia. The first track, "A Good Sign," is an uptempo celebration of life, delivered with sincerity and an engagingly happy sing-along chorus. "Big, Big World," the title song, is gentle and arranged as a pseudo-procession tune, as if Emilia is taking her first cautious... Read More