If Faith Evans's self-titled debut was inexplicably entwined in the rise of the Bad Boy empire, her eagerly anticipated follow-up, Keep the Faith, has been further steeped in the history of hip-hop before anyone heard a note.

There are plenty of ballads here ("No Way" and "Lately I" being the best), and Evans doesn't hesitate to mine her emotional turmoil for lyrical material, but it's the welcome inclusion of sublime mid-tempo grooves ("Sunny Days," "Life Will Pass You By") and party jams like "All Night Long" that make this album a sure-fire classic. Forget the hype and enjoy the sound of Evans's gospel-trained voice riding the old-school beats in the addictive "Love Like This."

The most interesting thing about this album is not Evans's personal trials but that despite them, her voice is still as sweet as the caramel kisses she sings about. - Rebecca Wallwork