For the Cool In You

Album Review

In late 1993 Babyface, who was at the top of his game as pop/R&B's hottest writer and producer, released his acclaimed solo album For the Cool in You. The album featured four hit singles, those being the title track, "Never Keeping Secrets," "And Our Feelings," and the song that went on to become his signature tune, "When Can I See You." In early 2001, the album was reissued with three bonus tracks, which do the album a great deal of service and widely expand its musical boundaries. "For the Cool in You" is served up with two additional mixes. One is the Quiet Storm Vocal Mix, which, as the name implies, is a laid-back, mellow quiet storm groove. The other is the album's closer, the Midnight Luv Instrumental Mix, which is a fine, mellow, jazzy way to close off the album. Finally, "When Can I See You" is served up with the Urban Soul Basement Mix, which is a dance-house version of the song. This version may displease some of the song's original fans (it was an acoustic ballad in its original inception), but ultimately serves to expand the musical boundaries of the album. For a record that was originally pop/R&B, the reissue is a jazzier offering that includes house music and makes for a surprisingly good listen from start to finish. Also included are beefed-up liner notes, which include all of the original liner notes' artwork. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide