though "head over heels" and "all cried out" took the charts by storm, allure's eponymous debut album did not garner the publicity evoked by other girl group debuts, such as en vogue, xscape or brownstone. the problem, perhaps, can be attributed by their inability to establish an identity (as a group, and as individuals). their material, which boasts songs written by mariah carey and mary j. blige, as well as guest appearances by nas, ll cool j and 112, traverse the musical domains of all of the above-mentioned diva-groups without claiming any of them as their own. some, of course, would point out that this speaks to allure's flexibility as artists which, of course, is true. the women tackle hip-hop, r&b and pop with a level-handed penchant and could, song-for-song, give any girl-group a run for it's money. however, for a debut release, a little more identity needs to be established-if not through material, than through publicity. the album version of "head over heels" while still stellar, doesn't hold a candle to the funkdafied remix released as a single. on "all cried out" the women do little to take advantage of their vocal majority, doing little to add any richness or complexity to the lisa lisa original. "mama said", however, is a emotionally stunning number that engenders the same juxtapositioning of hope and despair as zhane's "for a reason". overall, _allure_ is a good listen and shows a lot of potential for staying power. to realize that potential, however, in a climate in which the single is king, these women are going to have to endear themselves to fans and create an identity the way others have before them.
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