R&B group 112 returns to the scene with their latest release, Forever. The group is now a duo comprised of members Marvin “Slim” Scandrick and Michael “Mike” Keith. While the other two former members of the group Q Parker and Daron Jones are pursuing separate ventures, the question on everyone’s mind is how does the group sound?
The duo opens up the EP with the melodic balladry on the interlude “Forever,” blending Slim’s falsetto elegantly with Mike’s tenor. “Forever” transitions into the mid-tempo “Nowhere.” The song production has a sound that the group calls “Trap&B.” As I listened to “Nowhere,” I partially expected a rapper to make an appearance or to hear some autotune, but instead, the group stays true to their age demographic.
“Exclusive” continues the sound established in “Nowhere,” but the group sells it. Unlike fellow Atlanta counterparts, Jagged Edge, 112, can use slang in the music and not come across as comical. “For Us” has a soulful Hip Hop sound that would feel right at home on the group’s first two albums.
No 112 album is complete without a signature slow jam, and the group provides the goods on “Spend It All.” The song recalls their previous hits “U Already Know” and “Anywhere.” Surprisingly, the group doesn’t have any out ballads on the album that were part of the group’s yesteryear signature sound. “Anytime” is the closest thing you get to a song tailor-made for the Urban AC crowd.
While it’s a good song, I would’ve loved to hear a piano-driven ballad or even hearing the group cover a song from their catalog as grown men. Nevertheless, the group shines on the up-tempo and mid-tempo tracks and easily proving wrong the naysayers who made jokes calling the group 56.
Avoiding the mistakes that many of their 90’s counterparts have made with recent releases (i.e., autotune and overly catering to a young demographic), 112 delivers one of the best EP’S of the fall. 112 may now be a duo, but Slim and Mike continue to keep the 112 sound alive.
Final Grade A –
Top Tracks: “Forever” “For Us”, “Spend It All”
Forever is available on all streaming platforms
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I took a trip back to 2007 and revisited “Don’t Talk Just Listen” from the group B5. Hailing from the Peach State, B5 comprised the Breeding Brothers, Bryan, Carnell, Dustin, Kelly, and Patrick. Initially finding success two years earlier with their cover of The Jackson 5’s “All I Do,” their debut did just enough with their preteen fans to warrant a second album.
With the exception of a few cases, R&B groups experienced a period of stagnation in 2007. While some groups continued to tour and perform their renowned classics, releasing new music was infrequent. To commemorate this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I would like to acknowledge a notable piece from Jagged Edge’s sixth album, “Baby Makin Project,” titled “Whole Town’s Laughing At Me.”
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, we are taking a trip to the Great Lake State and showing some love to R&B Band Ready for The World and their self-titled debut album. Arriving in stores on May 14, 1985, via MCA Records, the album on which the band produced their first single was “Tonight.”
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