Any fan of R&B music of the 90s knows this group by one song: “’Til You Do Me Right”. It was at the height of the Babyface reign of smooth R&B, when his brothers popped up with this track. They conquered the world, but disappeared just as quickly.
A few weeks ago, I saw someone share a social media post of the group that mentioned a new album (that has since been released on October 14th). It has been my understanding, somehow, that the trio probably had just released one album that contained “’Til You Do Me Right”, because I actually never heard anything else from them.
But I’m both surprised and excited to discover they had actually released 3 albums over a period of about 7 years - all very successful in the States. They also picked up or lost a fourth member before dissolving somewhere around 1995. Now, 20 years ago, they didn’t only reunite as a group, they also managed to get Babyface on board.
The new album is called “Timeless”, which is quite a bold statement to make. In an interview about the album, they’ve said Babyface was actually working on an album with one of the members, when the idea of another After 7 album evolved. They hadn’t really planned on it. This does not reflect on the album.
It’s been pretty cool to listen to an album like this again. They’ve continued the legacy by delivering exactly what could’ve been a follow up of any of their music in the 90s. There’s only one song on the album that strongly reminds me of something else. “Everything” has got these “oohs” going on that keep reminding me of another song, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. If you know what it is, please let me know.
The rest of the album is a classic, seriously. I’m not sure if it’s timeless, but I am truly impressed. Most of the songs are ballads, but “Home” and “Betcha By Golly Wow” strip it down even further with bits and pieces of just vocals and piano. My favorite song of the album is “Too Late”. The only negative that I can imagine, is that it’s also pretty cliché and really does use ALL the tricks Babyface is known for. The chimes in particular could work on your nerves on a bad day. It makes you think of Christmas and Disney, but then I’m really nitpicking.
