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"Never" is the debut solo single by American singer Keyshia Cole. Co-written by Cole and produced by E-Poppi and Ron Fair, it was eventually recorded by American rapper Eve and featured on the soundtrack to Kevin Rodney Sullivan's comedy film Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004). The song was later also included on Cole's debut album The Way It Is (2005). Lyrically, uptempo track samples from Luther Vandross's 1981 hit "Never Too Much"

The song was one out of three songs from the Barbershop 2: Back in Business soundtrack that were issued as a single. Released as Cole's debut single through A&M Records in March 2004, the song received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics but unfortunately received little promotion which most likely impacted it's public recognition. Nonetheless, "Never" managed to appear on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number seventy-one.

Release and reception
After leaving her hometown in Oakland, California, Keyshia Cole had officially started her career as an aspiring singer in Los Angeles and began recording self-publisher demos for herself. Shortly after joining the short-lived girl duo, Grip in the summer of 2002, the then twenty-one-year-old Cole chose to fully pursue her career as a solo artist and then signed a record deal with A&M Records and Interscope Records within six months. In January 2004, Cole was reported to appear on the soundtrack for Kevin Rodney Sullivan-directed film Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), the sequel to the 2002 film. It was revealed that she would perform alongside American rapper Eve on the song titled "Never". Prior to the soundtrack's release, "Never" was released to certain stores in the US as a 12-inch vinyl record to saliently promote the soundtrack.

Upon it's release, the song met generally favorable reviews from music critics. Michael Paoletta of Billboard highlighted "Never" during it's essential review of the soundtrack, demanding the listeners to not overlook it.

Composition and lyrics
The song samples "Never Too Much" by Luther Vandross. In the October 2005 magazine cover story for Vibe, which was dedicated to Vandross himself three months after his death caused by an unexpected stroke, Cole said describing her fascination for Vandross and how "Never" came about. "When I was younger, my best friend's mom used to play Luther Vandross. So, I was in the casino the other day, and his song came on. I called my manager, and I was like, Man[ny], when [are] they [gonna] do a tribute, I wanna sing that song! I feel like that's a part of me. When he died, it brought up memories and kind of messed me up."

Credits and personnel
Credits lifted from the single's liner notes.


 * Carlton Batts – mastering
 * Toni Braxton – vocals
 * Vance Taylor - acoustic piano
 * Fil Brown – recording engineering
 * Milton Chan – mixing engineering
 * Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds – production, writing
 * Barney Perkins – engineering
 * L.A. Reid – mixing, production


 * Steve Schwartzberg – recording engineering
 * Daryl Simmons – production, writing
 * Bo Watson – writing
 * Matt Westfield – recording engineering
 * Sean Young – recording engineering
 * Jim Zumpano – recording engineering