Whenever fans hear about a new, manufactured band, we're always immediately a bit skeptical; the O-Town and Da' Band disasters have left us all a bit jaded. Maybe it's not popular to take this stance, but music shouldn't be "forced"; instead, it should be a natural extension of an artist, not something imposed by a producer. That being said, on paper, P Diddy's latest "Making the Band" group, Day 26, seems a little suspect. However, as hard as it is to admit, the self-titled debut album from Day 26, is surprisingly entertaining, and has a flavor reminiscent of the best of mid-90's R&B.

      The album jumps off with "I'm The Reason", a track which owes a lot to classic Michael Jackson and 8701-era Usher. This quickly segues into the Mario Winans produced "Got Me Going", the album's first single. The choice of a first single can lead to disaster if done improperly; here, Diddy definitely picked the right one: "Got Me Going" is destined to be a club banger with it's ferocious beat. "Silly Love" and "Don't Fight the Feeling" soon follow, both working off of a nice mellow, soul groove that makes for easy listening. Day 26 seems to come off best when they slow things down, opting for a slow drum beat accented by a light snare, instead of overly indulgent, echoing samples, like that of "Ain't Going". The same slick sound is employed on "This Is What Feels Like", a Soul Diggaz jam destined for those midnight radio shows.  Overall, the production quality is top-notch, with contributions from a variety of hit-makers.

      However, there are a couple of tracks that hold this album back; "If It Wasn't for You" and "Ain't Going", featuring Bad Boy label mates, Danity Kane and Donny Klang respectively, are going to become victims of the skip button. Meanwhile, "Come With Me" is a horrible, amateurish track that goes to show that big production money doesn't guarantee a hit. Lyrical finesse doesn't seem to be a strong-point of the group either, as most of the albums lyrics come off as sophomoric. Also, don't expect anything new, or ground breaking, as this album is definitely derivative of late-90s groups like 112, Dru Hill, and Jagged Edge. But that doesn't necessarily constitute a negative.

      With expectations for this to be a horrible album, admittedly this a pretty dope record. If you go into it with hopes of new, amazing stretches of musical theory, you're going to be dissapointed. If, on the other hand, you just want to listen to listen to some easy R&B, check it out. - Michael Rodriguez