Legendary R&B quartet En Vogue had seen its share of up and downs when its first Christmas album, The Gift of Christmas, arrived in the fall of 2002. Five years prior, fans saw the departure of original member Dawn Robinson. The remaining members would release two albums as a trio before Amanda Cole joined the band in 2001, making them a foursome.
However, they returned to a trio after original member Maxine Jones departed to spend more time with her child. As die-hard fans know, this is the only album to feature vocals from Amanda Cole, and one of those songs is the week’s pick for Slow Jam Saturday. The group’s long-time collaborators Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster provide the song “With My Honey.”
Amanda Cole sings lead on the song while Cindy holds, and all three ladies’ voices come together during the chorus. When I hear this song at 41, I am reminded of femininity and sensuality while the ladies sing. As well as the first Christmas you share with your soulmate.
The remainder of the album features three original songs and eight cover versions of Christmas standards and carols. While Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster put their magic on all the tracks, “With My Honey” is the one I still play in 2022.
Final Grade: B
“With My Honey from The Gift of Christmas is available on all streaming platforms.
It’s hard to believe that an iconic singing competition like American Idol has produced only two Black male winners in its more than two-and-a-half-decade history. Jamal Roberts made history last year when he won the show, following Ruben Studdard’s well-deserved victory in Season Two.
One wonderful aspect of supporting physical media is that I never run short of albums to choose from when deciding what to cover for Second Listen Sunday. Often, I’ll head to the man cave, browse through my CD collection, and an album will pop out at me. This week’s pick is T-Pain’s fourth album, “Revolver.”
One of my favorite singers, Mr. Eric Roberson, is performing this weekend at America’s legendary music venue, The Birchmere. To show Eric some love, I want to highlight something longtime R&B fans have always known: he’s had remarkable songwriting talent.