Search - Babyface :: Closer Look

Songs from The Balladeer/Troubadour...

yygsgsdrassil | Crossroads America | 06/09/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"...first off, the only thing I'd complain about this is--that mix of 'Whip Appeal'. It ain't working. Sorry. It would have greatly upgraded the CD to put the original on it. Other than that, this has ultrarare performances of 'Two Occasions' (too bad they couldn't slip in a version of 'Shoot 'em Up Movies'), Babe and Pebbles in 'Love Makes Things Happen'(TLC and LA Reid may, however, dispute that), Babe and Karyn Lewis in 'Love Saw It' and that gem of a jam 'Chivalry'. Babyface throughout the years has proven that love and music makes things happen."

A Closer Look delivers...

miggitymark | Vancouver, BC, Canada | 04/05/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

""A Closer Look" details some of Babyface's earlier tracks as well some new ones that have been remixed. He takes us to the early days when "Chivalry" was considered one of the most important aspects of love. The remix of "It's No Crime" takes us all to the dance floor immediately, while the sultry groove of "Whip Appeal" is always a welcome bedroom pleasure. Also included in this project are the classics, "Love Saw It," with Karyn White sharing lead with 'Face, and a remix of "Love Makes Things Happen," featuring Pebbles with 'Face. A very decent remix project put together..."

A Closer Look Reveals Less Worth Seeing

El Lagarto | Sandown, NH | 05/17/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Babyface is a powerful talent, especially as a producer. However, it is precisely this skill that gets him in trouble. Electronic mixes, synthetic drumbeats, and over-dubs piled high as a stack of pancakes, often make his work artificial and ultimately off-putting. This does not help an artist whose stock and trade is intimacy and romance. Hand in hand with this often mechanistic, almost robotic construction is a propensity for song lyrics that extend far beyond saccharine into a universe so precious and sensitive they seem to parody themselves. The pseudo-jazz re-mix of Whip Appeal is particularly dreadful, but then, anyone who has used Kenny G for session work, as Babyface has, can never be beyond suspicion.



Fortunately, A Closer Look is redeemed by one long, electrifying track, the live rendition of Two Occasions. This performance is an absolute thrill; soulful, elegant, and heartfelt. Otherwise look elsewhere, sample the sound of your clothes dryer and see if you can make a Babyface CD yourself. If you'd like to see what Mr. Face is really capable of doing, try Babyface - A Collection Of His Greatest Hits. You'll have to suffer through collaborations with LL Cool J (ouch!), Stevie Wonder (overwrought), and Eric Clapton (not a fit), but the rest of the tracks are stellar. Babyface really does deliver the goods, when he turns out the lights in his million-dollar studio and actually makes music."