Babyface – The Greatest Songbook

In the stratosphere of pop music in the 1990’s, there were a few producers who could seemingly do no wrong. Artists of the ilk of Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs and William Orbit were responsible for some of the biggest hits in popular music. Babyface was one of the illustrious few…

Although a prolific artist in his own right, this compilation is a collection of some of the most popular songs that Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds has written for other artists that subsequently went on to become chart-toppers around the globe. Not being an avid follower of his music I was amazed to see how many songs that I had seen head straight for the top of the charts were actually from the pen of this relatively unassuming singer-songwriter.

While his own recordings were instrumental in rejuvenating the R&B tradition of the sensitive urban crooner and made him a hit on adult contemporary radio stations across the globe, Babyface’s own success was eclipsed by his phenomenal production work for other artists. In demand by global stars like Whitney Houston, TLC, Boyz II Men, Stevie Wonder and Michael Bolton, you’d be hard-pressed to find a producer/songwriter from the 1990’s with a more impressive track record for success.

With the runaway success of his 1989 solo album ‘Tender Lover’, Babyface was firmly established as a commercial song-writing powerhouse, going on to co-write hits for Johnny Gill ('My, My, My', nominated for the Best R&B Song Grammy), Whitney Houston ('I'm Your Baby Tonight'), and Madonna ('Take a Bow'). His biggest success of the early ‘90’s came from his work with Boyz II Men, whose recording of 'End of the Road' became one of the longest-running number ones in pop history, even beating Elvis Presley’s record.

This successful, and lucrative, collaboration with Boyz II Men is reflected on ‘The Greatest Song Book’, with the inclusion of two Boyz II Men tracks, namely ‘I’ll Make Love To You’ and ‘The Color of Love’. The track listing reads like a Who’s Who of R&B in the ‘90’s with an impressive list of artists and hits from throughout the last decade. TLC’s ‘Dear Lie’ is there, as is Tevin Campbell’s ‘Can We Talk’ and ‘Breathe Again’ by Toni Braxton.

Ardent followers of Babyface will enjoy this compilation of his work as a testament to one of the most talented producers the pop world has seen, but it is equally impressive and worthy of your hard-earned cash as simply a collection of great adult contemporary songs. Although there is no new material on ‘The Greatest Song Book’, Babyface fans and anyone who enjoys smooth R&B will appreciate this collection of classic tracks.