Ranking the Best Faith Evans Albums
Give Faith Evans her flowers right now: She’s proven time and again to be one of the greatest R&B artists of our generation.
During her mid-90s heyday, while competing with countless high-profile voices vying for our attention, Faith still rose to the top. Her unmistakable, full-bodied vocals fueled anthems, made babies and became a defining force in one of R&B’s best eras.
Even in later years, when tabloids attempted to overshadow her talent, she continued to push through, using that drama to fuel even more great music.
I can’t stress this enough – Faith Evans is one of R&B’s shiniest treasures. So let’s celebrate her today.
We’re looking back at her entire discography from bottom to top, excluding her 2005 Christmas album and her R&B Divas compilation album from 2012. As always, quality, vocal performances and staying power determined our rankings.
See why Faith wears the title of First Lady of R&B with such pride.
7. The King & I (2017)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: On paper this should have been a classic, but there was so much working against it. This collabo between Faith and her late husband, The Notorious B.I.G. certainly had promise, but pairing her current vocals with his decades-old verses made for an awkward mash-up. The throwback production was great, as was the album’s storytelling concept, so it wasn’t a total loss. It’ll just go down as a curious concept album that didn’t quite live up to the hype.
Forgotten favorites: “Legacy,” “Somebody Knows,” “Take Me There”
6. Incomparable (2014)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Here’s the most memorable thing about this album for me – Faith’s fanatical fans cussing out me, my momma and my unborn children, claiming my review was biased and unfair. Internet thugs, y’all all need hugs. By NO means is this a bad project – it has the strong vocals, solid production and expert songwriting that has always defined Faith’s career. The biggest flaw here is that there are no standout performances, a rarity for most Faith albums. It’s a technically sound album that gets lost among Faith’s more high-profile releases.
Forgotten favorites: “Maybe,” “Forever” and every single interlude
5. Something About Faith (2010)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Probably the most overlooked album of her catalog, Something About Faith could have been named Something For Everyone. Solid ballads, bouncy party-starters and quality singles – and I still argue that “Gone Already” is one of Faith’s best songs, period. It’s a great showcase of her incredible range of talent.
Forgotten favorites: “Gone Already,” “Worth It,” “Baby Lay”
4. The First Lady (2005)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: The first album of Faith’s post-Bad Boy career might have been met with slight skepticism but don’t worry, she proved she doesn’t need Puff to hold her hand to make good music. It’s truly the maturation of Faith Evans – largely stepping away from the hip-hop samples that defined her early work to pursue a more adult-oriented sound. There are a few hiccups along the way but this was a solid transition into a new era for Faith.
Forgotten favorites: “I Don’t Need It,” “Catching Feelings,” “Jealous”
3. Keep the Faith (1998)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Coming off the heels of the murder of her estranged husband, Faith has noted that this album was extremely difficult to record. However, she pushed through the pain, creating one of the most memorable albums of her career. Following the massive success of debut, Faith’s deft songwriting and powerful vocal showcases launched Keep the Faith to unforseen heights – it’s still her most commercially successful project to date.
Forgotten favorites: “My First Love,” “Caramel Kisses,” “No Way”
2. Faithfully (2001)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Faith Evans is one of R&B’s most celebrated voices, and for good reason. Her debut is hailed as a classic, her sophomore album is fondly remembered and even her 2005 offering The First Lady has gotten a lot of love online recently. But where’s the love for Faithfully? The album blended Faith’s impeccable vocals with nearly every rap sample imaginable – Biggie, Outkast, even The Firm. Faithfully is arguably the last great release of Bad Boy Records’ golden era and still holds strong today. If this one ain’t better than Faith’s classic debut, it’s the closest one.
Forgotten favorites: “Don’t Cry,” “Brand New Man,” “Alone in this World”
1. Faith (1995)
Soul In Stereo rating: 5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Faith’s debut album isn’t just Bad Boy’s best R&B release – it’s one of the best R&B albums in the history of the genre. You read that right — it stands up to the greats of every era. Faith’s vocals ache with emotion on every track, clearly forged from the fires of gospel and soul. And it’s that very emotion that drives every single track here. There’s no filler on this album, it’s tight, concise and as close to perfect as you can get.
Forgotten favorites: “Reasons,” “Don’t Be Afraid,” “You Don’t Understand”
What’s your favorite Faith album? Let us know below.
Faith is easily one of my favorite singers of all time; her voice is both sweet like honey and powerful as thunder. Other than Something About Faith, I love every one of her albums. Big & Faith’s TKAI was a curious marriage (couldn’t resist lol), but had some bangers. Hope she drops another classic soon!
Keep the faith remains her best album till date.
So there was some discussion recently online about the “Faith” album where we were asked to name our top 3 and it’s such a coincidence that your 3 forgotten favorites were my top 3 from that album. This album can’t be touched. I agree with “almost” all of this ranking except I think I would put Incomparable before Something about Faith, because the 2nd half of (SAF) drags a little. I’m a faithful and have loved her from the beginning, happy she’s getting her flowers!