Hot & Wet

112: Daron, Slim, Mike, Q (vocals).
Additional personnel includes: Super Cat, Joe Budden, T.I., Ludacris, Chingy.
Producers include: Stevie J., Daron Jones, Saint Denson, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, The Hitmen.
The four-man group One Twelve began its career as the innocent soul crooners of Puff Daddy's Bad Boy crew. The quartet's first records were inviting slabs of gospel-tinged R&B honey, top-heavy on the ballads; however, with PART III, they shifted gears into an edgier, tougher sound with more frenetic, pulsating dance beats and more suggestive lyrics. (They also slightly re-christened themselves, switching from the numerals 112 to the spelled-out One Twelve.) On the fittingly titled HOT & WET, the group continues this transformation.
HOT & WET opens on an almost serene intro that weaves their earlier hits into a uniquely disarming landscape before setting a tone with the sexually charged, haunting "It's Goin' Down 2Nite," featuring T.I. in a guest appearance. The mood stays put on the title track, as Ludacris drops by with his usual verbal flair. "Unbelievable," which finds the four folding their vocals over one another with cool precision, provides a high point, even sneaking in a nice rap of their own. One Twelve hasn't forgotten what brought them initial success, though, flipping into a segment of smooth and slow songs before turning the tempo back up on an almost sinister remix of the title track. HOT & WET finds One Twelve striking a perfect balance of the new and the old for an appealing R&B record.