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Dec 4, 2015A satisfying mix of adult pop-soul love songs that evoke his early work. These amiable, adroitly produced and arranged songs confirm his inimitable knack for graceful melodies and effortless hooks.
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Dec 4, 2015Credit him and songwriting partners Daryl Simmons and Kameron Glasper, along with hall of fame-level session musicians like Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes, for ignoring the increasingly narrow sound of commercial R&B. They've done so with a satisfying album that sounds as if its organic making necessitated little exertion.
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Dec 10, 2015With a seemingly renewed energy, Babyface is back in business with two records in the last two years, and Return of the Tender Lover sets the table for an even bigger return to the public eye forthcoming.
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Dec 4, 2015The collaborations on Return of the Tender Lover and the design of its production feel traditional, in the sense that they don't attempt to update Babyface's sound and instead lean comfortably on a long, established career. This dedication to tradition and honoring of his craft is less a throwback than a micro-adjustment of an enduring formula.
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Dec 22, 2015A little more stylistic deviation like that could have helped Return of the Tender Lover feel more vital. Even when he's just dreaming of the past, though, the elegance of Babyface's songwriting remains untouched.
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Dec 4, 2015This is old-school R&B with a fine glass finish, the musicianship and production audibly expensive and the man’s voice so honeyed it presumably requires the attentions of worker bees.