Babyface - Return of the Tender Lover: The old smoothie is back

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds was the dude who established the smooth r’n’b playbook when he wrote and produced slo-mo, romantic tracks for Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Boyz II Men and many more.

It was a style which has influenced and inspired many through the years, from fellow r’n’b smoochers to enlightened sonic seekers like Frank Ocean and FKA Twigs.

Eight years on from his last album, Edmonds hasn’t deviated all that much from what has worked before, using his honeyed vocals to polish old-fashioned, perfectly poised and beautifully pitched songs about, well, love.

There are moments when Edmonds does try out new shapes and slides, but then he catches himself and returns to purring late-night power ballads. The original of the species.

[ babyfacemusic.com ]