Description

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds is one of the few achievers of a true pop-music trifecta: writer, producer, and recording artist. While penning songs for some of the biggest pop stars of the 1990s--Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton, and Whitney Houston, among others--Babyface also perfected a mature, urban pop sound that marked him as one of the finest and most successful producers of the decade. A popular singer in his own right, Babyface won a best R&B vocal Grammy in 1995, and released the star-studded FACE 2 FACE in 2000.

Biography

b. Kenneth Edmonds, 10 April 1959, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Babyface's achievements as a songwriter and producer throughout the late 80s and 90s, especially with L.A. Reid, sometimes overshadowed his own efforts as a performer, which go back to the mid-70s with the funk outfit Manchild. His early solo efforts showed a sophisticated, adult-orientated strain of urban soul, going against the current grain of rap-influenced explicitness and raunchy swingbeat; wisely, perhaps, as his light, pleasant voice could not really compare to earthier singers such as R. Kelly. It was not until 1995, when the single "When Can I See You" won a Grammy, that he could claim the commercial success that had been heaped on his own protégés such as Boyz II Men (Edmonds wrote and produced the massive US chart-topper, "End Of The Road'), Bobby Brown and Toni Braxton. In fact, since the split with Reid, Babyface's main success has been as a producer and writer of movie soundtracks, with The Bodyguard and Waiting To Exhale both going multi-platinum. Expectations were high for his 1996 solo album, which should have sealed his claim to be taken seriously as a contemporary soul performer. Unfortunately, The Day turned out to be something of a back-slappers" showcase; guest spots by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey and even Shalamar could not obscure the fact that the songs Babyface kept for himself were simply not as strong as those he provided for other members of the R&B royalty. Following an unplugged MTV set and a seasonal release, Babyface signed a new recording contract with Arista Records. His debut for the label featured collaborations with Snoop Dogg and the Neptunes.
DISCOGRAPHY: Lovers (Solar 1987)**, Tender Lover (Solar 1989)**, A Closer Look (Solar 1991)**, For The Cool In You (Epic 1993)***, The Day (Epic 1996)***, MTV Unplugged NYC 1997 (Epic 1997)**, Christmas With Babyface (Epic 1998)***, Face 2 Face (Arista 2001)***.
COMPILATIONS: A Collection Of His Greatest Hits (Epic 2000)***, Love Songs (Sony/Legacy 2001)***, The Ultimate (Epic/Legacy 2002)***.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Babyface: A Collection Of Videos (Epic 2000).

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