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Jun 5, 2017Altogether a worthwhile concept that once deserved to see the light of day, excessive filler and intermissions dull the shine of a release should have been actualized while the public demand for Frank White vocals was greater.
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Jun 20, 2017The danger though is that The King & I turns into a new version of the "Duets" album, simply rebranded as a Faith Evans album featuring snippets of her late husband. This is exacerbated on the second half of the album by one rap all-star cameo after another.
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May 22, 2017With vocals smoother than a vat of cocoa butter, Evans moves from poignant duet (Legacy, One in the Same) to Juicy-style sexathon (A Little Romance) alongside him, although--naturally--it lacks a certain improvisation and cohesion.
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May 25, 2017The constant recycling, along with the quantity and variety of other voices, detract from some of Evans' best, most impassioned performances, which are matched with some solid work from a roster of co-producers that includes Salaam Remi, James Poyser, and DJ Premier.
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May 23, 2017Evans tries to preserve authenticity by enlisting producers like Chucky Thompson, Stevie J and DJ Premier (who all worked with Biggie in life). It's an understandable move, but the album's production is simply too dated to resonate.
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May 23, 2017The King & I is simultaneously too stingy and too indiscriminate with its star attraction, denying fans new verses yet projecting his hologram raps over every song until the reflexive thrill of hearing one of rap’s greatest voices is extinguished.
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MojoMay 23, 2017Her syrupy soul often fails to mesh with B.I.G.'s taut flows. [Jul 2017, p.96]
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Q MagazineMay 22, 2017The inimitable genius of B.I.G.--the mordant wit, the complex lyricism--is painfully diluted here. [Jul 2017, p.107]
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May 22, 2017The King & I wastes too much energy centering a known relationship on these formless descriptions, a flaw that turns a 72-minute project into a poshly produced endurance contest.
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May 22, 2017He [Biggie] was never boring, unlike this compilation of tired productions and mawkish interludes.