Faith Evans: Keep the Faith (Arista) **½

TWO YEARS after the murder of her husband, the rapper Notorious B.I.G., Evans has made an album that both pays homage to him and bemoans his passing. But as the Eels have shown with their new album Electro-Shock Blues, songs about death don't necessarily have to be maudlin and self-pitying, as they are on Keep the Faith. However heartfelt Evans' intentions may be, she is more concerned with soliciting our empathy than with creating compelling R&B.