AMG Review of Hav Plenty

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Like Waiting to Exhale and Soul Food, Hav Plenty is a film that bucks convention while boasting a soundtrack compiled by Babyface. By this time, his blend of smooth soul, urban R&B, and laid-back hip-hop has become familiar, but that doesn't mean that Hav Plenty is weak or tired. Predictable, it may be, but it delivers the goods, from the Jayo Felony, Method Man, and DMX collaboration "Whatcha Gonna Do" to Babyface and Des'ree's sultry duet of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire." Not all of the songs reach those heights, but there are no weak cuts on the soundtrack and it's not just a collection of random songs -- the entire thing gels into an appealing, seductive, and thoroughly listenable album.