Al B. Sure! Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Al B. Sure! could be heard on the airwaves and seen on cruise ships, but as a recording artist, he was missing in action for over 15 years, until he signed with Hidden Beach and recorded Honey I'm Home with longtime collaborator Kyle West. He was never completely out of the picture, at least not throughout the majority of the '90s, as he wrote and produced for the likes of Jodeci, H-Town, Usher, and Johnny Gill, but most casual R&B followers assumed he just slid off the map. Honey I'm Home certainly does not sound rusty, like the work of someone who is desperate to reactivate his career. It could be the singer's tenth album as easily as it is his fourth, with his voice (particularly the falsetto) in fine condition, not really needing the traces of Auto-Tune flutter that occasionally bubble to the fore. It's not atypical for a Hidden Beach release either, grounded in subtle and relaxed productions, and Al B. tends to stick to mature "grown folks R&B" lyrical themes, aside from the occasional diversion into the kind of crassness best left to Pretty Ricky wannabes. ("I love playing in your box when it's late at night" is not quite the worst of the bunch.) Reverent, deeply impassioned covers of Michael Jackson's "Lady in My Life" and Sting's "Fragile" (practically a standard at this point) help balance that out. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
'Private Times... and the Whole 9!'
Release Date 10/16/1990
Tracks 15
Label Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With cover art that features one of the best uberbrows in the history of music, In Effect Mode and its lead single, "Nite and Day," took Al B. Sure! from being just another smooth R&B singer to the top of the music charts. It certainly didn't hurt matters much that André Harrell and Teddy Riley helped to produce this debut album. Of course, the leadoff track helped to redefine quiet storm ballads for the new jack generation, but there are other gems on In Effect Mode as well, including "Off on Your Own (Girl)," where the narrator pursues the love of an uninterested lady, only to find out later that she is a lesbian. The updated, digitally enhanced cover of the classic "Killing Me Softly" is also of note, if only to contrast how the tone and palette of R&B evolved over a short period of time. And "Just a Taste of Lovin'" most certainly foreshadows the new jack phenomenon that Teddy Riley was to mastermind. Most people would be well off just getting these songs on one of the many readily available greatest-hits compilations, but those looking to dig deeper will no doubt enjoy this album from start to finish. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
