This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Three years ago it was Where Have All The Cowboys Gone? Now it’s more like, where have all the good times gone?
Cole’s third disc Amen is, as the title suggests, a solemn and preachy affair, burdened by dreary, self-indulgent songcraft, a overabundance of ballads, get-over-yourself lyrics such as, “I’m the grain of sand / Becoming the pearl,” and even Cole (heaven help us all) rapping. The only salvation is the angelic Philadelphia soul of surefire single I Believe In Love. Otherwise, Amen doesn’t stand a prayer.
