WITH LOVE FROM OUR FRIENDS

Recording information: 5:15 Studios, Atlanta, GA; Ameraycan Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Artzmen Studios, Brooklyn, NY; Blakeslee NoHo Recording; Blue 52 Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA; B'Toven Music Studios, NY; Cherish's Spot, Atlanta, GA; Circle House Studios, FL; Edgewater Records Studios, Atlanta; Forceful Boondog Studios, NY; Forceful-Boondog Studios, NY; Hewett's Studio, CA; Mountainside Studios, PA; Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, GA; Sensible Music Studios, London, UK; The Happy Room, Phoenix, AZ; The Motel Music Sound Studios, CA; The Ranch Studios, CA; Westlake Studios, CA; WM Studios, Las Vegas, NV. Released through Sony's backward-looking Legacy division two years after the group was the subject of TV One's Unsung series, With Love from Our Friends is undeniably nostalgic. Full Force, the group behind hits like "Roxanne Roxanne," "I Wonder If I Take You Home," "Ain't My Type of Hype," "Thanks for My Child," "Lost in Emotion," and several others are joined by a long list of guests -- one deep enough to dizzy fans of '80s and '90s R&B and rap. Listing past Full Force collaborators that aren't involved, like Bob Dylan and James Brown, for instance, would be easier than listing those who are here. While there's a new version of "All Cried Out," featuring Tisha Campbell-Martin in place of the absent Lisa Velez, and a "new chapter" of "Roxanne Roxanne" with U.T.F.O. and the ageless Roxanne Shant?, they don't merely reminisce. For all the memory-triggering appearances from the likes of Force M.D.'s, Troop's Steve Russell, Tevin Campbell, and Allure, the majority of the material is new, and a good handful of the songs would fit in with adult-oriented R&B radio playlists. Two of the album's more energized songs -- the opening "I Feel Good, I Look Good, I'm God Good" and "From These Lips to God's Ear," on which Faith Evans, Sheila E., Regina Belle, Howard Hewett, and Riley shine -- suggest that the group could easily drive high-profile contemporary gospel albums. The only true misstep is the closing track, a stab at Black Eyed Peas-style EDM where the voices of Samantha Fox and Flavor Flav are slathered in Auto-Tune. ~ Andy Kellman