"This is the debut album from Faith Evans. Hailed as the First Lady of Sean Combs' Bad Boy label, Evans is blessed with a voice that elevates her above much of her cookie-cutter, hip hop soul peers. It'd be easy to dismiss her debut as a collection of flash-in-the-pan, trendy r&b, but the album is far better--and deeper--than you think. From start to finish, the album soars as a solid album of street-savvy soul, and remains surprisingly consistent. Evans pulls it off well in the mid-tempo "No Other Love;" she holds her own against Mary J. Blige in their cover of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," and she shines in the funked-up "You Used to Love Me." But the song that helps "Faith" earn its 5 stars is the killer ballad "Reasons," a sap-free love song in which Evans gives nothing less than her 100%. Some female singers have the looks; others wear the clothes, and some have the right producers. But Evans has the voice, which is good enough to help make "Faith" a solid, winning debut."
A Contempory Timeless Classic
R. Blanton | 01/10/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is so amazing from beginning to end. Like another reviewer stated, this album is almost 10 years old and you can pick up this cd and play it like it was just released. It is rare that an album is so strong all the way down to the last song on the cd. My favorites are Love Don't Live Here ANymore, Reasons, Don't Be Afraid, YOu DOn't Understand, Used to Love Me, and Come Over. There is nothing I would change about this album. If you don't have this cd in your collection please pick it up!"
Still ill
S. Butler | Pittsburgh, PA | 05/26/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Faith Evans' debut is not only one of my most prized albums, but one of the very best I have ever purchased. Anyone sleeping on this joint needs to wake up; Five years (an eternity in music) after its release it's still excellent and extremly listenable. Chock full of ballads, power ballads and mid-tempo jams, anyone who considers themselves an R&B fan and doesn't have this album needs to get with it. While I would consider "Come Over," "Soon As I Get Home," "No Other Love," and "Give It To Me" to be highlights, they aren't the only jems, and to be sure this is an album you can play start to finish. Simply put, anyone who wants to invest in a quality R&B album needs to check this out."
Classic
S. Butler | 10/11/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Faith's debut album changed my life and is the sole reason I was inspired enough to become a singer. Her voice is just BEAUTIFUL, and the fact that she wrote all the lyrics on this album make it all the more personal. When I first heard 'You used to love me' back in '95 i fell in love with Ms.Evans vocals and beautifully crafted songs. Personal faves include 'give it to me' 'all this love' 'don't be afraid'and reasons. In fact i'm lying - personal faves include THE WHOLE DAMN ALBUM! This album is a classic. And her new one is too! God bless ya Faith! 'I never knew there was a love like this before' when it came to music. Faith showed me that there can be."
One of the Greatest Mid 90's R&B Debuts I've Heard
NiC0LE [[Jay Five]] | Orlando, Florida, USA | 01/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This for me has to be one of my favorite Mid 90's/ Hip-Hop Soul Albums, not to mention what I consider an excellent debut. I'm not too familiar with Faith Evans' albums but if you're looking for a 90's R&B album filled with smooth beats, and great vocals, you may want to give this a shot. When I first got this album I was only purchasing it for a few songs, I had some spare time on my hands, so I went in order, listening to the other songs on the album, and I found myself liking each song on the album. As you know most the time when you buy an album you usually get it for the single(s), but in my opinion, I feel just about every song could've had single possibilities. If you take time to listen to a lot of the songs you'll see that unlike most artists out now, Faith Evans can actually sing, and has vocal range. Whenever I hear this album it keeps me longing for many 90's artists to come back, because we need the variety right now, and that's what I think the 90's R&B scene offered. If you had talent, you had talent, meaning it wasn't easy to get away with not being able to sing well, but now it just seems like its image over talent, it seems like the industry doesn't care about skills anymore, just if you meet their standards of what can sell.