And the Music Speaks in Bloomington, MN

All-4-One
scored the biggest single of 1994 with
"I Swear,"
a sweetly syrupy
adult contemporary
soul
number. While they had a massive hit, they weren't able to carve out an identity with their debut album apart from
as it was up to the follow-up,
And the Music Speaks
, to establish the group as more than one-hit wonders but it only partially succeeds. Musically, the album is stronger than the debut, featuring a better selection of songs. The group is more confident with their harmonies, showing off their
gospel
roots and still allowing themselves to get funkier than they have before. Nevertheless, the strength of the album remains in the
ballads
, where
can pull out all of their dramatic,
romantic
tricks, as they show on
"I Can Love You Like That"
and
"These Arms."
Despite these highlights, the group never is as distinguished or as charismatic as
Boyz II Men
, the clear leaders of laid-back
-'90s
. Nevertheless,
have proven with
that they are competent professionals, capable of turning out high-quality commercial
on demand. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine