X

1	Honest Lover 5:43
2	Wanna Do You Right 4:28
3	Get Back 3:42
4	Crazy 4:20
5	Game Face 3:59
6	Thug N U Thug N Me 4:02
7	If It's Going to Work 3:27
8	All the Things I Should Have Known 5:28
9	I Can't Find the Words 4:10
10	Something Inside of Me 4:33
11	One Last Time 3:59
12	Suicide 8:09
13	Ooh Yeah 3:26

Barnes & Noble

The Hailey brothers aren't bashful about having only one thing on their minds -- the dramatic, string-laden intro to their third disc, X, is a forthright invitation to "make love tonight." Following in the vein of their previous discs, Love Always and It’s Real, X deals with affairs of both the heart and lower regions. The plaintive ballad "All the Things I Should Have Known" and the soaring lead single, "Crazy," are syrupy pleas for forgiveness, whereas the slinky, mid-tempo track "Get Back" and the up-tempo club-thumper "Thug N U Thug N You" (which features the late 2Pac) are steamy calls to do the horizontal mambo. Although they aren’t the most original lyrically -- the oddly romantic "Suicide" finds Jo-Jo beautifully crooning mildly warped lyrics, such as "I never thought of suicide until you took your love away" -- the contrast of K-Ci’s gravelly tenor with Jo-Jo’s graceful falsetto is what makes this duo memorable. And with new jack artists such as Sisqó admittedly biting K-Ci’s gut-wrenching delivery -- a trend K-Ci & Jo-Jo address on "Ooh Yeah" -- it’s apparent just how influential the music of these Jodeci frontmen has been. Although it’s rumored that a new Jodeci disc will be released sometime in 2001, for now X marks the spot for K-Ci and Jo-Jo fans. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

X is the Roman numeral for ten, and this late-2000 release is titled X because it marks Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey's tenth anniversary in the recording business -- first as two-thirds of the trio Jodeci, then as the duo K-Ci & JoJo. X, the duo's third album, isn't a radical departure from its two previous albums; like 1997's Love Always and 1999's double-platinum It's Real, this CD emphasizes romantic material and combines a high-tech urban contemporary production style with an appreciation of classic soul. K-Ci & Jo-Jo were never a carbon copy of Jodeci, and X won't be mistaken for Diary of a Mad Band. Though X contains a few hip-hop-minded, up-tempo selections (including "Game Face" and "Thug N U Thug N Me"), romantic ballads and slow jams are dominant. A few of the tunes are retro-soul gems -- especially "Wanna Do You Right" and the Bobby Womack-influenced "I Can't Find the Words" -- although most of the time, X is merely decent urban contemporary. One thing that's never in doubt is the Hailey Brothers' skills as vocalists; while a lot of urban contemporary artists get over on image alone, K-Ci & JoJo really do have impressive vocal ranges. X isn't a masterpiece, but unlike all of the urban artists who have nothing more than image and attitude going for them, the Hailey siblings bring some genuine talent to this generally pleasant, if predictable, CD. Alex Henderson

Vibe

K-Ci and JoJo have made an album that stands with the best of modern R&B and should maintain and add to their fan base. Elysa Gardner