The year was 1995, and I was a braces-wearing pimply-faced fourteen-year-old. The premiere R&B groups were Boyz II Men and Jodeci, basking in their third album’s success. The Thanksgiving movie season was getting ready to kick off with Toy Story and Goldeneye on track to do huge numbers. Around the same Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson would reunite for their third film, Money Train.
Growing up as a film connoisseur in the nineties, one of my favorite things about movies was the soundtrack. Sometimes an introduction to a new artist would come through a soundtrack appearance. In particular, the Hip Hop and R&B ones. My pick for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday is an R&B group whose music I first discovered on a soundtrack.
Most people think 112’s debut song was the classic “Only You” the group’s first recording was actually “Making Love” from the Money Train soundtrack. Up-and-coming producers Tim & Bob produced the song in addition to co-writing it with the members of 112. Q, Mike, Slim, and Daron were in their late teens when recording the track, and the group’s signature harmony comes across effortlessly. Q handles the first verse, with Slim coming in on the second verse. However, each member gets a chance to shine on the song. Concurrently the group’s church roots come across in the bridge.
While “Cupid,” the group’s signature ballad, would start a great run of hit slow jams for them, “Making Love” is a personal favorite. Along with “Why Didn’t You Love Me,” the song is one of the 112 rare ballads from the group’s early days that deserves more recognition.
Final Grade: A
“Making Love” from the Money Train soundtrack is available on YouTube.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.