Faith Evans Faithfully CD

Personnel includes: Faith Evans, Carl Thomas (vocals); Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Loon (rap vocals); Michelangelo Saulsberry (various instruments, background vocals); Mario "Yellow Man" Winans (various instruments); Hijack, Gerard Barnes, Vada Nobles (keyboards); Adonis Stropshire, Meelah Williams, Andrew Wilson (background vocals).
Producers include: Bink, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Mario "Yellow Man" Winans, Michaelangelo Saulsberry, Faith Evans.
Engineers include: Wayne Allison, Rob Paustian, Markus Ulibarri.
"Can't Believe" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
FAITHFULLY was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary R&B Album.
Personnel: Faith Evans (background vocals); Hijack, Gearard Barnes, Vada Nobles (keyboards); Adonis Stropshire, Meelah Williams, Michael Angelo Saulsberry, Andre Wilson, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Carl Thomas (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander ; Rob Paustian; Paul Logus; Sean "Puffy" Combs; Serban Ghenea.
Recording information: Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; Daddy's House Recording Studios, New York, NY; Enterprise Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Hit Factory Criteria Studios, Miami, FL; Marvin's Room, Las Angeles, CA; Master Sound Studios, Virginia Beach, VA; Right Track Studios, New York, NY; Sound Castle, Los Angeles, CA; Sound on Sound, New York, NY; Warehouse, N. Miami, FL; WEstlake Studios, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographers: Jeffrey Gamble; Sheryl Nields.
Given Faith Evans' somewhat spotty track record and Puff Daddy/P. Diddy's slippage since his name change, it might have made some sense to greet Evans' third album, Faithfully, with a bit of skepticism. As it turns out, such doubts were unwarranted, since this is her grittiest, funkiest, best record to date. There are so many collaborators on each track and so many producers -- usually around five songwriters for each track (but if a song is sampled, as many as 14 writers are credited) -- that it seems a minor miracle that it holds together at all, but Faithfully gels better than any previous Faith Evans record, in large part because so much of it is devoted to hard-edged, funky dance numbers, whether it's hip-hop-influenced cuts like "Alone in This World" or the wonderful neo-disco "Back to Love." This switch from her previous album, which emphasized ballads and mid-tempo grooves, gives the album more character, since the dance numbers mix well with the sultrier numbers and they both work equally well. If the album is hurt by anything, it's its length -- like most modern hip-hop-related albums, it runs too long -- but it is rich with vibrant songs, lively production, and Evans' best singing to date on what ultimately is not just her best album, but another excellent female urban R&B album in a year overflowing with them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Even after many other factions abandoned the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, Faith Evans continues to stand by her man on the appropriately titled FAITHFULLY. She still makes her home on Bad Boy Records, and the newly christened P. Diddy takes his rightful place masterminding the project and guesting on "You Gets No Love." Throughout the album, Evans reiterates the reasons why she deserves the title "first lady of hip-hop." Though she's a dyed-in-the-wool R&B songbird, FAITHFULLY is a perfect example of how an album can be R&B and hip-hop simultaneously. Even beyond the contributions of guest rappers (including Loon as well as the aforementioned Mr. Diddy), there's such a strong sense of hip-hop urgency in the beats and production style that there's no question where Evans's musical heart lies.

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Rolling Stone (12/13/01, pp.149-50) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Proves Evans doesn;t need real-life tragedy to give her music drama....FAITHFULLY restores the faith..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/9/01, pp.110-1) - "...Her third and most accomplished album..." - Rating: A-