Day26
Forever in a Day (Bad Boy)
Through the years Diddy’s kept a vise grip on a glut of sparkling should’ve-beens. There’s Da Band and Loon and Cheri Dennis and G. Dep and…well, you get the point. Despite the Bad Boy stamp, many of his artists have slipped from his clutches and crashed into anonymity. But that trend is changing. With the release of their second album, Forever in a Day (Bad Boy), the men of Day26 prove that there are second chances in Diddy’s world.
While the group’s five members—Brian Andrews, Robert Curry, Michael McCluney, Quanell “Que” Mosley, and Willie Taylor—are best known for their varying public displays of “bitchassness” on MTV’s wildly popular series, Making the Band 4, the group managed to steer attention to the music when their self-titled debut hugged the number one spot for a week in mid-2008. But their initial crack at an album was flecked with crumbs of urban pop—ultimately it was a B2K-ish affair. But this sophomore set is drama-free, with the group refining their sound and eliminating any threat of boy band mockery.
Their first mature move? Molding a project rich with with alluring mid-tempo cuts and ballads that encourage more bedroom perspiration than dance floor sweat. “So Good,” produced by Bryan Michael Cox, laces echoing red-light synths and buttery verses that drip with love and lust. “Babymaker”—another BMC production—shimmers with R. Kelly-isms. “Have you going up and down like an elevator / You aint gon’ go back after what I gave ya,“ moans by a 20-year-old Que, dismissing the perception that they’re incapable of producing R-rated tracks while being filmed for a PG-rated show. Day26 find their strength in numbers and each man holds his own, chord for chord, on the powerful, gallant, “Girlfriend.”
Still, it’s well known that Diddy likes to dance. So when Day26 set their sights on up-tempo, they outshine all their guests. Typically T-Pain is the highlight of his featured spots, but here he’s second best on the burly “Shawty Wats Up.” Same for Jermaine Dupri, who lends a hand on the jingly Chris Brown-lite “Need That.” Even Young Joc and Diddy himself are just gaudy accessories on the single, “Imma Put It On Her.”
With an almost flawless follow-up, Diddy’s foursome have made an oh-so rare transition: from must-see TV to must-hear CD.
Day26's latest hit stores on 4/14/09
Forever in a Day’s track listing
1. “Just Getting Started”
2. “Imma Put It On Her” (Feat. Yung Joc & P. Diddy)
3. “Shawty Wats Up” (Feat. T-Pain)
4. “Think Of Me”
5. “Stadium Music”
6. “Bipolar”
7. “Perfectly Blind”
8. “So Good”
9. “Girlfriend”
10. “Baby Maker”
11. “Then There’s You”
12. “Need That” (Feat. Jermaine Dupri)
13. “Reminds Me Of You”
14. “Your Heels”
15. “Truth Is A Lie”
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