** 1/2 Faith Evans, “Keep the Faith,”...

** 1/2 Faith Evans, “Keep the Faith,” Arista. Two years after the murder of her husband, the rapper Notorious B.I.G., Evans has made an album that both pays homage to him and bemoans his passing. But as the Eels have shown with their new album “Electro-Shock Blues,” songs about death don’t necessarily have to be maudlin and self-pitying, as they are on “Keep the Faith.” However heartfelt Evans’ intentions may be, she is more concerned with soliciting our empathy than with creating compelling R&B.;

“Keep the Faith’s” main flaw is that it’s top-heavy with mediocre ballads. The first half of the album (in stores Tuesday) is a relentless downer as Evans, in three-hankie songs such as “You Told Me,” “Caramel Kisses” and “My First Love,” charts the arc of her relationship with B.I.G. to its untimely end.

But while Evans’ tone shifts from regret to anger and ultimately resignation, the songs--with their strolling tempos, billowy production and ham-fisted melodies--remain locked in neutral. Evans doesn’t even try anything resembling a dance track until the midway point, but by then it’s too little, too late.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.