Music Review: Day26 returns with edgy R&B disc

Day26, “Forever in a Day” (Bad Boy)

If you’ve been following “Making the Band 4” on MTV this season, it might come as a surprise to you that even with all the squabbling going on between members of Day26, the guys and their producers managed to make a surprisingly good sophomore album.

Any arguments over the musical direction of “Forever in a Day,” seem to have gone in the favor of those who wanted to stick with an R&B sound. But even so, the disc is anything but a collection of buttery soft ballads.

It’s all about hard-hitting beats – drum loops, keyboards and the occasional guitar riff – such as on first single “Imma Put it on Her,” featuring down South rapper Young Joc, or “Shawty Wats Up,” where the guys join T-Pain on the auto-tune machine.

Even slow jams like “Girlfriend, “So Good” and “Babymaker,” have a certain kick, and the lyrics prove more steamy than sweet.

The singing is strong throughout the album, and vocals from Brian, Mike, Qwanell, Robert and Willie blend without a hitch.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: After singing track after track about how they’re going to “put it on her” in some way or another, the guys prove they can get vulnerable (and still sound good) on “Perfectly Blind.”