Face Off [PA] (CD - 2007)

The first full-length duet album by rapper Bow Wow and R&B singer Omarion, FACE OFF sounds more like a pair of buddies having fun and experimenting in the studio than a major album by either party, and that is a huge part of its charm. At a time when too many hip-hop albums take themselves far too seriously (call it the P. Diddy effect), 2007's FACE OFF harks back to the casual, lighthearted spirit of hip-hop's past. Highlights include "Girlfriend," the sly "Can't Get Tired of Me" and "Take Off Your Clothes," as well as the T-Pain-produced first single "He Ain't Gotta Know." FACE OFF was also released in a two-disc limited edition set that included a bonus DVD.

Omarion, coming off a number one album, and Bow Wow, coming off a Top Ten album -- both of which were released in late December 2006 and varied drastically in quality, with O's 21 wailing all over The Price of Fame, teamed up for a December 2007 release, Face Off. Being a collaborative album between a singer and a rapper, comparisons to R. Kelly and Jay-Z's Best of Both Worlds and Unfinished Business are bound to be drawn. It's better than both of those releases, which isn't saying much at all, but it can be sensed throughout that O and Bow Wow, who have come up together, had a lot of fun goofing off and bouncing ideas off one another -- as opposed to the R. Kelly/Jay-Z affairs, in which those two giants were basically going through the motions. That said, not many of Face Off's tracks are bound to be considered among either artist's best work. In stretches, it's perfectly entertaining, yet most of it goes in one ear and out the other, not leaving much in the memory. Exceptions include "He Ain't Gotta Know," co-written and produced by T-Pain (with none of T-Pain's polarizing tics in place), and a couple of the lighter Omarion showcases, like "Girlfriend" and "Can't Get Tired of Me." The lousiest of the bunch is the "Going Back to Cali" knock-off "Hey Baby (Jump Off)," a low point that might actually have more in common with the Fat Boys' "Wipe Out." It'll probably be the album's biggest hit. ~ Andy Kellman minimize