The Duo Is Best When Sticking to R&B; Traditions
As members of Jodeci, K-Ci and JoJo Hailey primarily stuck to well-trod terrain: faithless sweethearts, dashed romantic hopes, the inevitable goodbyes. On their second project on their own, the brothers still sound like graduates from the Bobby Womack School of Wounded Lovers.
“Fee Fie Foe Fum” is an angry, finger-pointing accusation aimed at a creepin’ honey, and K-Ci & JoJo handle it like true, old-school soul shouters. The rest of the album isn’t so invigorating. There’s a whole lot of sound and fury signifying nothing particularly world-shaking or original.
Where this pair succeeds is in their adherence to R&B; traditions, such as vocals steeped in a rugged, gospel-rooted foundation. It’s an inviting, time-honored quality they share with contemporaries groups such as Dru Hill and LeVert. But the two also have a tendency to sound too cliched and self-satisfied. They have the goods to go much deeper than they do here.
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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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