Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds is pop's best melodic writer since the heyday of Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. On The Day, Babyface makes that connection explicit by cowriting "How Come, How Long" with Wonder, who also contributes a duet vocal, a harmonica solo, and longtime bassist Nathan East to the session. Even more impressive is the fact that the eight songs Babyface wrote for The Day without his hero's help also boast yearning melodies and ear-opening chord changes that are absolutely Wonder-ful. --Geoffrey Himes