In Brief

** All-4-One, “On & On,” Blittz/Atlantic. Without fear of appearing romantically whipped, this R&B;/pop quartet has delivered another smooth package of sentimental, angst-free love songs. The lovely “I Cross My Heart” has wedding bells written all over it. But it’s only on the gritty, hip-hop-informed “Somebody 2 Love” that the group toughens up its nice-guy persona to a welcome degree.

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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.

Hear the Music

* Excerpts from albums reviewed and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: https://www.calendarlive.com/soundclips