After releasing their fourth album, 2010’s InDRUpendence Day, R&B quartet Dru Hill gifted fans with its first-holiday album with 2017’s Christmas in Baltimore. The lineup of Sisqo, Jazz, Nokio, and Tao, who made an appearance on InDRUpendence Day, returned for this project. Dru Hill worked primarily with legendary producer Troy Taylor for this particular project.
Christmas in Baltimore opens with a soulful instrumental intro before transitioning into the lead single “Favorite Time of Year.” A sultry slow jam, “Favorite Time of Year” features the Midas production touch of Troy Taylor mixed with the classic Dru vocals. Sisqo opens up the song with pure showmanship while the rest of the group backs him up.
“This Christmas” is up, and while I initially thought the group was going to do an update of their cover of Donny Hathaway’s classic, the group goes the up-tempo route for a stepper’s vibe. I like this one because the group appeals to a younger crowd with Taylor’s production while avoiding the auto-tune route. The grown man vibes continue with “Get Away,” which finds the group actually breaking away from the holiday vibes. Instead, they make a successful dabble in the Dancehall genre. Sisqo straight bodies the song, and I could’ve easily seen this song as a lead single on a non-Christmas album.
Dru Hill’s signature harmony shows up on “No Holiday,” a mid-tempo ballad about a man missing his lady love. Jazz gets a chance to shine on “Fireplace” with his signature vocals and solidifies the need for a Jazz solo record ASAP. Nokio leads the next song, “T’is the Season.” This track is clearly for the clubs. Now, while I’m not a massive fan of auto-tune, given Nokia’s talents as a producer and Rock musician, I do understand the vibe he was going for. Quite honestly, “T’is the Season” would feel right at home on the soundtrack for an urban comedy flick.
The midtempo “Underneath the Mistletoe” and a cover of a Christmas classic close the album out. Tao glides through “Underneath the Mistletoe” like a bird in the wind with a strong solo. In comparison, Sisqo offers assistance on the bridge of the song. Dru finally goes back to ballads for the swan song, a cover of The Temptations “Silent Night.”
Originally appearing on The Tempt’s, 1980 Christmas album, Give Love at Christmas, “Silent Night” is a holiday staple in the Black community. The popular meme says, “It Ain’t Christmas until you hear Dennis Edward croon In My Mind.” So how does Dru Hill do with their version? Pretty decent, in my opinion, as the group never tries to outshine The Tempts and instead makes the song their own by utilizing their vocal strengths.
I hadn’t heard Christmas in Baltimore since the initial 2017 release, but I am glad I decided to revisit the project as I found some new songs to add to my Christmas playlist.
Final Grade: B+
Christmas in Baltimore is available on all streaming platforms.
Growing up in the nineties, movies aimed at a melanin audience often featured soundtracks that had to be just as flavorful as the films themselves. This week, for Slow Jam Saturday, I want to take a trip back to 1993 and highlight one of the slow jams from the soundtrack of “Menace II Society”.
Last week marked two significant anniversaries for one of the greatest artists of all time, Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson. It’s only fitting that I show him some love for Second Listen Sunday. The first anniversary was on the 21st, commemorating nine years since his passing. The second anniversary was on the 22nd, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his seventh studio album, “Around the World in a Day.”
One of my most significant decisions late last year was to pledge to Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. At the time of this writing, I am in Atlantic City for my fraternity’s Regional Conference, where I will represent my chapter, Beta Alpha Omega. In that regard, I believe the perfect song for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday is “The Best Man I Can Be.”