Flo'Ology

1	Blessed 2 Have 3:57
2	Supastar 4:12
3	Closer 4:03
4	My Apology 4:06
5	Let Me in 4:25
6	Lay Down 5:00
7	Feelings 5:02
8	Sometimes U Make Me Smile 6:38
9	I'll Die 4:41
10	Imagination 6:34
11	I Want U 5:47

Barnes & Noble

The chemistry between vocalist Marsha Ambrosius (the Songstress) and spoken-word artist Natalie Stewart (the Floacist) lay at the heart Floetry's head-turning 2002 debut, Floetic, and it continues to ignite sparks on the pair's sophomore follow-up, Flo'Ology. Aided by the in-studio touch of such producers as Scott Torch and Raphael Saadiq, the British duo weave a thread of sensuality throughout these 11 songs, which are set in unobtrusive string arrangements and dreamy guitar strokings that recall classic '70s Gamble & Huff sides. Balancing out Ambrosius' sweet and full singing on slow jams like the emotive "Feelings" and the yearning, dancehall-tweaked "I Want U" is Stewart's seductive, Cockney-flavored purr. Nowhere is this more effective than on the self-explanatory "Lay Down," a song that moves from the Songstress' innocent asides to the Floacist's more pointed, room-by-room invitation. And while much of this album is tailor made to serve as a soundtrack for l'amour, the duo scratch their hip-hop itch on the opening cut, "Blessed 2 Have," which finds them trading rhymes over a Supertramp sample, and on "SupaStar," which brings Common aboard for a head-bobbing collaboration. And while the vocals are occasionally interchangeable, Flo'Ology is yet another testament to the distinct flavor that Floetry brings to the neo-soul banquet. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

Following their successful live album, Floetry returned to the studio after some much needed rest from constant touring and album-making. Relaxed and very much reenergized, Floetry then issued Flo'Ology, which rises to the top of the list as one of the best things the group has ever released. The blueprint pretty much stays the same: tasteful, funky neo-soul grooves blended with emotive R&B crooning and spoken word poetry. But there's a much-needed sense of refinement to their style and vocal delivery this time around, a hint of maturity that was lost on their debut and subsequent releases. The ferocity that made Floetic the album of the neo-soul jet set has been replaced by a calmer, more introspective duo confident of their abilities and -- most importantly -- understanding when to restrain themselves from becoming just another cookie-cutter R&B group (check out "Lay Down" for the best example of this discipline). The one thing detracting from Flo'Ology is the length of the songs, with many of them bordering on or exceeding the five-minute mark; combined with the repetition of themes, this length tends to drag down and unnecessarily carry songs on longer than they should, but that's a trivial complaint considering all of the fine-tuning, general improvement, and overall quality boost that Flo'Ology delivers from start to finish. Rob Theakston