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Review: Jack Foley
R’n’B fans will probably flock to the latest Kiss compilation,
which follows pretty hot-on-the-heels of their summer collaborations,
just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Kiss Smooth R&B is packed with tracks from the past and present,
which provide an essential couple of hours for fans of the music
genre.
New material includes the ballad version of Beyonce’s most
recent single, Me, Myself and I, which sounds a little bland and
monotonous when compared with the bhangra-influenced version that
more often gets played on the radio (a strange choice?), while
The Sugababes weigh in with their latest, Too Lost in You, taken
from the soundtrack from Love Actually, as well as their latest
album, Three.
Given that this has been released with Valentine’s in mind,
however, I guess it’s only natural that the ‘smooth
R’n’B’ numbers selected here, should sway towards
the ballads, rather than anything with a little more attitude.
Hence, 50 Cent’s offering, 21 Questions, is probably his
closest attempt at a love rap to date, while the likes of Nelly
(Dilemma), Ja Rule, featuring Ashanti (Always on Time), and Aaliyah
(More Than A Woman) provide inevitable, and fairly predictable,
contributions to make this an essential purchase for mainstream
R’n’B fans.
The double-album also contains several tracks from Kiss’
Nineties’ repertoire, including, most notably, Faith Evans’
haunting Love Like This, recently sampled by Fatman Scoop, on
Be Faithful, and sounding as laidback and seductive as ever, as
well as Destiny Child’s ever-popular, Say My Name.
Other highlights include Snoop Dogg’s Beautiful, with Pharrell,
and J-Lo’s collaboration with LL Cool J, All I Have, as well
as No Woman, No Cry, by The Fugees, and, amazingly, Britney Spears’
I’m A Slave 4 U.
The less notable stuff comes from the likes of B2K, Brandy, Lemar,
and Lisa Maffia, the majority of which makes you realise how much
of this stuff sounds the same (and repetitive) when put together.
On the whole, however, this is for the R’n’B purists,
who may appreciate the opportunity to own their favourite singles
of the past decade on one compilation, or those guys looking for
something a little extra for their other halves this Valentine’s.
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Track listing:
Disc: 1
1. Me Myself & I - Beyonce
2. To Lost In You - Sugababes
3. 50/50 - Lemar
4. Breathe - Blu Cantrell feat Sean Paul
5. Foolish - Ashanti
6. Dilemma - Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland
7. More Than A Woman - Aaliyah
8. Love Like This - Faith Evans
9. What About Us - Brandy
10. Beautiful - Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell
11. Girlfriend - B2K
12. My Love Is Like Wo - Mya
13. So Confused - 2Play feat. Raghav & Jucxi
14. Baby Boy - Big Brovaz
15. Get It On Tonite - Montell Jordan
16. All I Have - J-Lo feat . LL Cool J
17. Freek'n You - Jodeci
18. In My Bed - Dru Hill
19. Your Love Is A 187 - Whitehead Bros.
20. Brown Sugar - D'Angelo
Disc: 2
1. 50 Cent feat Nate Dogg - 21 Questions
2. The Notorious B.I.G. - One More Chance
3. L.L Cool J - Luv U Better
4. Jay-Z - Girls, Girls, Girls
5. R Kelly - Sex Me
6. Destiny's Child - Say My Name
7. Blackstreet - Don't Leave Me
8. Kelly Rowland - Train On A Track
9. The Fugees - No Woman, No Cry
10. Charli Baltimore Feat Ja Rule, Ashanti & Vita - Down 4
U
11. Sunshine Anderson - Heard It All Before
12. Wyclef Jean - Perfect Gentleman
13. K-Ci & JoJo - Tell Me It's Real
14. Lisa Maffia - In Love
15. Britney Spears - I'm A Slave 4 U
16. Ja Rule feat Ashanti - Always On Time
17. 2Play feat Raghav & Juxci - Turn Me On
18. India.Arie - Video
19. Eve feat. Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind
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