R&B Diva

Album review

In 2012, Faith Evans teamed with fellow veteran R&B singers Monifah ("Touch It"), Nicci Gilbert (Brownstone), Syleena Johnson (Kanye West's "All Fall Down"), and Keke Wyatt ("Nothing in This World") for the TV One reality program R&B Divas. The show entailed the making of an album to benefit the Whitney E. Houston Academy. This is that album, a compilation featuring all the singers together and apart with a large cast of songwriters and producers. The results, perhaps unsurprisingly, are scattered. The whole group is together for only two songs: the triumphant, empowering "Lovin' Me" and the self-explanatory "Sisterfriend." Five songs, highlighted by "Too High for Love," are basically Evans solo showcases that aren't too distanced stylistically from her 2010 album. She goes back with an odd-sounding live version of "Soon as I Get Home" that includes her lead clashing with her not-live background vocals. On a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," Evans is assisted not by her fellow cast members but by Fantasia and Kelly Price (whose "Jesus Loves" closes the set). It's not bound to please devout fans of Evans' co-stars since each one of those singers gets the spotlight for one song. Whether due to personal or contractual reasons, Evans is the only diva whose image appears in the disc's presentation.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo