With Valentine’s Day fast approaching us, I had to decide which song to feature for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday appropriately. I flirted with the idea of ranking songs with the word Valentine in the title. For my rankings, I could have pulled the catalogs of numerous singers, including James Ingram, Eric Bellinger, Lloyd, Michael Henderson, Ryan Leslie, and New Kids On The Block. In the end, I decided to go with 112’s Cupid.
The third and final single released from the group’s self-titled debut, “Cupid” is a song anyone can relate to. Arriving in the prime of nineties R&B, “Cupid” highlighted the group’s writing talents overall. The song was also a writing collaboration with Arnold Hennings and Courtney Sillis. In addition, Hennings also produced “Cupid”. Slim leads the song with his trademark falsetto while his group members provide backgrounds. The song lyrics are set to a lush instrumental and solidify the actual meaning of Cupid.
In Greek mythology, Cupid means “passionate desire” and is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction, and affection. From the moment Slim sings:
“Girl if I told you I love you
That doesn’t mean that I don’t care, oooh
And when I tell you I need you
Don’t you think that I’ll never be there, ooooh
Baby I’m so tired of the way you turn my words into
Deception and lies
Don’t misunderstand me when I try to speak my mind
I’m only saying what’s in my heart.”
Over the course of six albums, 112 has had numerous ballads, but nothing comes to the beauty of “Cupid”, and it’s easy to see why fans consider it their signature slow jam. We hear the sincerity in Slim’s voice and can relate to his message.
One of the most challenging things in life is getting over heartbreak, but as the song says, you won’t know unless you try it.
Final Grade: A+
“Cupid” from 112 is available on all streaming platforms.
Songstress Ashanti was experiencing significant success with two platinum albums at the time of the release of her inaugural holiday project, “Ashanti’s Christmas,” on November 18, 2003. Her label head, Irv Gotti, produced most of the album. This project comprises four original songs co-written by Ashanti, in addition to six cover versions of traditional Christmas standards and carols.
Vocal quartet A Few Good Man contributed two songs to the project: a cover of “Silver Bells” and the ballad “Merry Christmas My Dear,” both of which were produced by Daryl Simmons. Demail Burks, David Morris, Aaron Hilliard, and Tony Amey were the members of the group, and after introducing themselves in the festive video for “Silver Bells,” it was only fitting that they delivered a ballad on the album.
R&B legend Luther Vandross had already solidified his place in R&B when he released his first holiday album, “This Is Christmas. Arriving in stores on October 24, 1995, “This Is Christmas” validates Vandross’s ability to sing anything.