If you thought it was over after Danity Kane split up, you thought wrong. Day26 have become the focal point of Making the Band 4, with Donnie Klang's career sputtering to a halt as Diddy put him on the "yellow alert" list and Danity Kane calling it quits. After two out of three of his acts didn't succeed in ways that he'd hoped, Diddy relinquished creative control to Day26 for their sophomore album (perhaps out of frustration, possibly because he actually trusted their songwriting abilities), resulting in the freshly released Forever in a Day.



The album, released fresh off the heels of last year's Day26, is an audio snapshot of a band that's gradually settling into their skin. Packed with equally as many club bangers as there are ballads, Forever in a Day is a step forward for the quintet, with the guys sounding much more confident than they did on their solid yet unmemorable debut. Here, there's much more replay value to these sparkling R&B bangers, the boys commanding the beats like seasoned pros instead of playing accomplice to them (it's a factor that made some of their previous work immediately mundane). Of course, a Day26 release isn't just about the personalities on the mic, and Diddy sure didn't flake out on the budget tip. Here, there's production from newcomers to the Day26 camp - T-Pain, Timbaland and The Underdogs – as well as standard Bad Boy fam Bryan-Michael Cox and Mario Winans. The result is an album that's a step forward for the band, both creatively and musically, showing that there might be hope for Diddy's prized soldiers after all.

The way that Forever in a Day is constructed is pretty straightforward, with fast-paced, club-friendly jams shimmying up next to baby-making ballads. Of the club tracks, the album has quite a few heaters, the most immediately recognizable being album single "Imma Put It on Her" featuring Yung Joc and Diddy. On the Blaze the Champ-produced jam, each member takes turn harmonizing with the blinding strobe synths, singing about how they're going to lavish their ladies with nothing but the finest swag that money can buy. "Shawty What's Up" soon follows, with T-Pain lending his autotune skills to the guys as they shout it out to all the ladies, while Jermaine Dupri later hops behind the boards for the Latin-flavored "Need That" (the latter is vaguely reminiscent of Justin Timberlake circa Justified era).



But it's where the band slows it down on Forever in a Day where their talents truly shine, their voices playing the foreground to beats that casually slink underneath their cat calls. On "Perfectly Blind," each of the guys surrenders themselves to a lady, channeling their inner David Ruffin as they vehemently slip into falsetto during the song's climax. The flute-laced "Reminds Me of You," boasting a silky beat by production duo Tim & Bob, is the perfect marriage of female adulation and emotive instrumentation, with the band holding back as they coo reserved yet sensual come-ons (the song vaguely recalls the style of long forgotten Bad Boy soldier Carl Thomas). And on "Babymaker," the guys take it straight to the bedroom, serenading a club companion with suggestive promises like "Gon' treat you like my coach and show you I can ball."

The versatility of these five performers on display throughout Forever in a Day shows that a little more control and a lot less pressure from Diddy has helped the boys loosen up. Unlike with their debut, Day26 have fully immersed themselves in the music, forging a much deeper connection to their lyrics while comfortably harmonizing with the beats. Perhaps writing most of the material on the disc helped them grow as performers (we still can't believe Diddy took a hands-off approach to letting these guys go wild in the studio), but their music is much better off for it. Looking towards the future, Day26 could benefit from a little more experimentation (autotune for R&B singers is not edgy), but Forever in a Day is a move in the right direction. And with Danity Kane and Donnie Klang on the outs, that's all we could ask for.

out of 5 Kiwis