Search - After 7 :: Very Best of

Born To Sing

Woo Song | Irvine, CA USA | 05/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've listened to this group since 1989, when they first came out, and I've seen them live twice. The group has La Face roots with Kevon and Melvin, who are brothers of Kenneth Edmonds and Keith Mitchell, who is Antonio Reid's cousin.Hands down, the best sounding R&B group around. They always struck me as geared more toward older listeners, but these guys were just born to sing. Very polished, very soulful, with great vocal range.Kevon is probably the best singer of the group, with his very crystal clear tone and never seems to hit a falsetto even when hitting the really high notes.I agree with one of the earlier commentators that it's probably too early for their best of album. However, seeing that Keith Mitchell has left the group and Kevon has had his own solo debut, the likelihood of them touring together in the future is pretty unlikely.Their top hit is "Ready or Not", which was on their debut album. To this day, it's probably their best song to date. It seems like all the songs written by Babyface tend to be their better efforts. "Baby, I'm for Real" is also another great song, from their second album. Also, "Not Enough Hours in the NIght", "Can He Love You Like This", "Gonna Love You Right" and "Til You Do Me Right" round out their other hits.However, where's "Truly Something Special" and "How Do You Tell the One"?Their slow songs definitely tend to be better their upbeat songs, although "Heat of the Moment" and "Can't Stop" are pretty good. Also, "Nights Like This", which was from the movie soundtrack, "The Five Heartbeats", is also pretty good with it's 50s Motown group vibe.Overall a great album, however, it's disappointing that this group never got the recognition or airplay it deserved."

Awesome Group

Harold Washington | Los Angeles CA | 10/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a real tragedy for the fans of RB that this group disbanded. In my humble opinion "they were one of the best groups ever." I know I might be a bit over the top with that statement,but thats how much I liked them. Kevon Edmonds has a Fantastic voice. Damn! you can't begin to imagine how much I miss them"

Excellent collection. Songs were done with class too!

Preston | nc | 10/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As most of us know, Kevon and Melvin Edmonds of the trio After 7 are the brothers of Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, so that musical lineage is felt in this group. After 7 made such fabulous music and had hits between 1989 and 1997. The many hits from their '89 debut with LA and Babyface, such as Ready or Not and the street corner feel of Can't Stop and the ultra funky Heat of The Moment. Then around August/September of 1992, I thought that After 7 were at their funkiest with Kickin It', their effort with Dallas Austin. Also a surprise was the phenomenal Baby I'm For Real/Natural High medley song. One of the best '90s remakes of a '70s R&B hit in that decade--they respected the original songs vocally. And the '95 album that had a few more hits with Babyface. One of the highlights here is their hit Nights Like This from 1991 from Robert Townsend's movie "The Five Heartbeats." They sounded so good on this song's '50s inspired feel. Also, the newer song of their remake of Hall & Oates "Sara Smile" sounds so soulful here. The performances here are wonderful, the singing and harmonies so smoothly done. Although they decided not to record any more music, this collection compiles their best songs and their artistry as a group. A dynamic trio they were in their prime."