Floetry Flo'Ology CD

On its third full-length outing, FLO'OLOGY, the R&B duo Floetry refines the warm, organic, hip-hop-tinged sound that was unveiled on FLOETIC and furthered on the (mostly) live FLOACISM. Natalie Stewart (the "Floacist") and Marsha Ambrosius (the "Songstress") present smoothly assertive songs that glide along on spare, straightforward arrangements. 2005's producer du jour Scott Storch lends his skills to two tracks on FLO'OLOGY--the chiming "SupaStar" (which features acclaimed rapper Common) and the romantic "My Apology"--while the duo themselves get behind the boards on the closing slow jam "I Want U" and Ambrosius takes to the production booth alone on the gentle "Feelings." This 2005 album shows that the Philadelphia-via-London twosome continues to build momentum, and reinforces Floetry's status as one of the best, and most progressive contemporary R&B acts.
Following their successful live album, Floetry returned to the studio after some much needed rest from constant touring and album-making. Relaxed and very much reenergized, Floetry then issued Flo'Ology, which rises to the top of the list as one of the best things the group has ever released. The blueprint pretty much stays the same: tasteful, funky neo-soul grooves blended with emotive R&B crooning and spoken word poetry. But there's a much-needed sense of refinement to their style and vocal delivery this time around, a hint of maturity that was lost on their debut and subsequent releases. The ferocity that made Floetic the album of the neo-soul jet set has been replaced by a calmer, more introspective duo confident of their abilities and -- most importantly -- understanding when to restrain themselves from becoming just another cookie-cutter R&B group (check out "Lay Down" for the best example of this discipline). The one thing detracting from Flo'Ology is the length of the songs, with many of them bordering on or exceeding the five-minute mark; combined with the repetition of themes, this length tends to drag down and unnecessarily carry songs on longer than they should, but that's a trivial complaint considering all of the fine-tuning, general improvement, and overall quality boost that Flo'Ology delivers from start to finish. ~ Rob TheakstonRolling Stone (No. 988, p.126) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...[U]rbane, velvet-lined valentines, full of darting rhymes and coiling croons...."
Entertainment Weekly (No. 849, p.72) - "...[A]n elegant new set prioritizing the soul in their hip-hop/soul sound...." - Grade: B
Vibe (p.210) - 4 discs out of 5 - "[T]he duo's sound is more sophisticated than ever, oozing a touch of class....Floetry will make you believe in love, allegiance, sisterhood, and those special sparks."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.91) - "Ambrosius's voice flows like liquid gold, while Stewart punctuates her partner's soulful effusions with deft rhymes and crisp harmonies."