Perhaps Babyface's incredible successes as a producer and songwriter have overshadowed his significant accomplishments as a performing artist. Babyface has been on the stage since he was a musician for Bootsy Collins. He was also an important member of The Deele in the '80s, makers of the smash hit "Two Occasions."

Now, several solo albums later, Babyface has broken out to reveal some serious edge on "Face2Face." Ready to build and experiment on a traditionally ballad-oriented past, "Face2Face" has some up-tempo tracks that fit more into the sound of neo-soul artists like Bilal and Jill Scott.

Says Babyface, "I've been stuck in 'ballad land' for a while and I didn't want to be there the rest of my career. I can do up-tempo no problem. But I needed to know what was believable for Babyface." Songs like "Baby's Mama," which features Snoop Dogg, and "Lover and Friend," an upbeat jazzy track with Curtis Mayfield-type vocals, are definitely new directions for this artist.

But Babyface has not abandoned his ability to communicate love through slower songs. "What If," which tells the story of meeting an old lover who has moved on, expresses some of the regret and pain that decisions in relationships can bring.