Better Days (Joe Album) - Album Information

Album Information

On his fourth project, Better Days, he displays his growing versatility as an evidently serious recording artist. His work has great depth expoloring serious and relevant human issues and expresses genuinley deep, honest emotion. He has an undeniable flair for ballads with such offerings as What If A Woman, Alone and Isn't This The World. The gentle and sensual musical arrangements which have all the emphasis and elements of the modern day R&B sound are all beautifully mellow with each holding an undeniably timeless appeal.

To begin with, only two songs feature guests, and one of those songs, "Let's Stay Home Tonight," is a rather straightforward remix for the rap audience featuring Petey Pablo. The other collaboration, "Ghetto Child," is a bit more ambitious, featuring Shaggy and The Boys Choir of Harlem. Elsewhere, the emphasis is on Joe. There is not a roll call of big-name producers here (though The Neptunes do make a showing), so Joe is left to carry much of the album's weight. He proves more than capable of the challenge on songs like the lead single, "Let's Stay Home Tonight," but too often these songs recycle the same songwriting techniques and find Joe revisiting the same motifs over and over. In sum, this plays like a pop album—a few obvious standout singles and lots of repetitive filler. However, if you're looking for a few quality singles rather than a consistent album, you should find this to be an engaging album, even if its rushed and ultimately thin on original ideas.