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Jodeci: Past, Present and Future [Album Review]

Jodeci has released their first new album since 1995's "The Show, The Afterparty and The Hotel".


Jodeci is back with an album of new material after a 20 year hiatus since dropping "The Show, The After Party and the Hotel in 1995. A lot has changed since then, their are no groups currently being played at black radio, real harmonies are all but gone and Melodies are no where to be found in today's pseudo R&B.

Now Jodeci aims to shine the light on the glorious days of the early 90's when Hip Hop and R&B co-existed with each other in sweet harmony. Each genre knew it's lane and neither tried to cross into the other save a few artists such as Missy Elliot, who was able to go between the two genre's with ease and still kept each one pure at it's core as she was equally talented to do both.

Today's artists have tried to meld it all into one where rappers try to sing, who really can't and where supposed R&B artist try to rap but really can't. It has in turn, left us with a mess in black music, where there is no real substance left with very few exceptions.

So R&B has been waiting on the return of the real. The new album is 12 cuts that try to regain the lost art but unfortunately it still leaves something to be desired.

The two best cuts are "Those Things" and "Incredible" which are co-produced by DaVante's former protege' Timbaland. The rest of the album is mediocre at best. It just doesn't live up to the head knocking drum tracks, live guitars, deep sub basses and synth chords that came to define the Jodeci sound.

The drum tracks and patterns are soft and the basslines are barely felt. The songwriting is not quite what I am used to hearing from Jodeci as well. Where is the "feenin'" or the "Freek in You" or even the piano laced "Lately"?

Those are the type of songs I wanted to hear, of course I know it is 2015 but that sound was so timeless;  Peep  Avery Sunshine's "Call My Name" (posted below), it features 90's inspired melodies, bangin drums, live guitars and smooth chords.

Jodeci could have brought their original sound from the 90's and all they have to do was update the drum sounds and with thicker bass patches.

The harmonies and vocals on the new album are top notch However, I just felt the production and songwriting could have been better.

Maybe my standards were too high when I heard that one of the best groups to come out of the 90's was back in the studio but all in all the album is good but it is not the great that I was expecting.


Stream the album below and Tell us your Thoughts!






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