Changing Faces, the R&B duo who first hit the musical scene three years ago with the R. Kelly inspired single, "Stroke You Up," and quickly submerged under the weight of other talented girl groups on the charts, has suddenly resurfaced with another disc, "All Day | All Night," which features another R. Kelly inspired release, "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T."
R. Kelly, uber-musical genius and three hyphenate powerhouse: producer, songwriter and singer, serves as the bridge between the two albums, producing the one good track on both albums.
With three years of maturity on their side and countless singles on several soundtracks, Changing Faces' sophomore debut strives so hard to correct many of the problems faced on their first album. Basically two pretty faces (Bronx-born Charisse Rose and Manhattan-born Cassandra Lucas) with mediocre voices, the selling point of both their hit singles have been the danceable bass line and explicitly descriptive lyrics.
"Stroke You Up" proved popular because of its sleep beat and clear sexuality. "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T" is Changing Faces response to men when the relationship begins to wander.
The CD begins with a brief intro and quickly explodes with the group's first single from the album, "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T" which has quickly become this summer's anthem for women everywhere who have been burnt by love. The lyrics read: "Yeah, it's obvious how things have changed within a year/ Just give me half of the rent and get out of here/ No more talking save your lines for somebody else/ Keep on walking 'cause I can do bad all by myself."
With that single as the backdrop of the album, each subsequent track is bitterly disappointing.
"Time After Time," first recorded by Cyndi Lauper, is revamped and revitalized with a thumping 808 bass line, however the Changing Faces rendition is somehow empty, lacking that heartfelt emotion that Lauper sung about.
"All of My Days" featuring rapper Ja-Z remains formulaic: a chorus followed by a brief rap interlude.
The album, divided into two sections, night and day, begins with a second rendition of "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T" (proving how popular that song is) and continues with a compilation of songs which represents the "All Night" side of the album.
For listeners who may buy the album under the assumption that the group is to represent the changing face of R&B music, keep your money.
Changing Faces' new release reminds listeners of their previous album. Borrow this disc from your roommate.
