Faith Evans
The First Lady
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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" puts a contemporary spin on Candi Staton's Southern Seventies soul, and the funkier "Mesmerized" recalls James Brown's sweaty productions for Lyn Collins. Although "Goin' Out" provides a high-stepping, Neptunes-helmed future hit, The First Lady is more
Read More remarkable for its warm reliability. Having been dealt more than her share of drama, Evans avoids attention-grabbing gimmickry. She's kept the faith, and that is enough.
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.
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