Artist: Day 26

Sure there’s been a lot of fighting and excessive bitchassness on this season of Making The Band, but for the only male R&B group making significant noise in the industry, it seemed undoubtedly certain that the music would be their saving grace, right? WRONG. Just over a year after the release of their self-titled debut album, Diddy’s hand-picked R&B squad, Day 26, releases their sophomore effort Forever In A Day, which, despite the hype and hot singles, falls much shorter than it’s predecessor. This album is marred with ill-advised club songs, lack of vocal variety and an overall failure to mature as a group. The good songs are REALLY good, but the bad ones are equally as horrible.

On Forever In A Day the sexiness and sensuality on the album’s slower songs have received a noticeable upgrade, and they stuck with the tried-and-true B. Cox format, which gets old and boring fast. Perfect for their stage shows is Girlfriend, the ultimate fan fixation song. Then there’s Perfectly Blind, penned by Day 26’s Que and his beau Dawn Richard of their sister group Danity Kane. This song’s breathy vocals and flowing production make it a shoo-in for anyone’s intimate mixes. Add to that mix Babymaker, which is exactly what the title suggests. Reminds Me Of You and Then There’s You are two of the album’s best tracks and they both take me back to the days of Boyz II Men, circa the Evolution era. Both are characterized by very clean harmonies that rise above the simplicity of the production and a sense of vocal unity that was present in most of Boyz II Men’s greatest hits. Other notable highlights include Truth Is A Lie and Bipolar.

The main problem with this album is that Day 26 failed at an attempt to switch lanes. Bringing the bedroom boom wasn’t enough and as noble as the attempt at versatility is, this album misses that mark by a longshot. Aside from the hook, Just Getting Started was a rather disappointing start to the album, and I’d have gone with a stronger song, like the rocked-out second single Stadium Music. All this talk of stuntin’ and ballin’ on Started is a tad bit difficult to believe, especially when their televised lives tell a different tale. Think of Me is just overall boring and there’s nothing memorable about it. The guys take it to the dance floor on Need That, which incorporates a house-style dance/club beat, but it fails miserably. The production is terrible and the sound on the record is overused and worn out. Jazze Pha took the reigns on Your Heels, and while I’m sure he could have used the money, this track is another epic failure. The lyrics on Heels lack creativity causing the song to crash and burn. The only word to describe Shawty Wats Up is overkill. Five singers and you decide to add an over-synthesized beat with recycled production elements AND T-Pain on the Auto-Tune? I’d like to know who made THAT smart choice.

Overall, Forever In A Day is not the followup album I (or any other musically-inclined fans) expected to hear. There seems to be too much focus on beats and production and not enough dedication to showcasing the talent of Day 26. The efforts to diversify their audience base by trying new sounds, though notable, fail for exactly the same reason. These guys need to work with a writing and production team that can really bring out the talented vocals of the group with some mature subject matter. While they’re at it, they should definitely rotate the leads around some more: Willie dominates much of the album, while Mike's signature voice rarely gets beyond a bridge or ad libs. It’s not really expected for these guys to go beyond two albums, just look at Bad Boy’s track record with pieced-together groups! I was just hoping they’d go out like Danity Kane did with a bang; now it looks like they’ll just fade into obscurity…

Sound-Savvy officially rates Forever In A Day with 3 out of 5 platinum headphones.

Related Posts:
Day 26 - Stadium Music (Flashing Lights)
New Music From Day 26: I'mma Put It On Her
Video: Day 26 - I'mma Put It On Her