Atlanta quartet Silk hit all the right notes on
Always and Forever, a collection of R&B covers. Each tune is a flawless rendition of a former grind-groove hit, including "Nite and Day" and the CD's title track. Tight harmonies, impeccable timing and lush orchestration show Silk's mastery of the romantic ballad. The Babyface classic "Two Occasions," the CD's final tune, is an especially sweet step back in time. Of course, it's pretty hard to go wrong with songs by Prince, Quincy Jones, DeBarge (both Randy and Eldra DeBarge wrote tracks on the CD) and Babyface. Silk, who have included a remake or two on most of their previous six albums, have said that they consider
Always and Forever both a homage to the artists who previously recorded the material (Michael Jackson, Prince, Shalamar, Heatwave and Switch, among others) and the opportunity to show off their own range and skill.
While Silk makes no missteps on Always and Forever, they don't cover any new territory either. None of the ten tunes are updated, and the arrangements are pretty much note-for-note faithful to the originals. Want a trip down R&B's memory lane? Always and Forever is perfect for you. Want to hear Silk do something new? Wait for their next release.