Issues

Leave it to the guys who brought you the 1995 classic"My Love Is the Shhh!" to slap the"don't-want-no-scrubs" and"bills-bills-bills" girls upside the head. On their third album, Sauce, Fuzzy, and Cat Daddy lay down a high-gloss, groove-heavy gang of tracks that show off their talents as some of R&B's most skilled producers (they've helmed hits for Will Smith, Eric Benet, and Brandy). They also give voice to the macho R&B backlash that's been brewing since Erykah Badu said"you better call Tyrone.""B**ch with No Man" is SFP's slickly packaged anti-pigeons tongue-lashing. This slow-burn ballad somehow comes off as an effective powerhouse ghetto hymn even as it smacks of misogyny. But the album's high points--the sincere plea of"Can We Make Love," the noble social commentary on"Things Must Change," and the simply beautiful, aching honesty of"I Apologize" (featuring Eric Benet)--almost make up for all the cattiness, and provide some lasting tracks that will resonate long after SFP's Issues aren't issues anymore.