There’s just something special about the nineties R&B sound. It was a time when folks would actually dress up to hit a nightclub, when music was not vulgar, and when you went on a date, more time was spent gazing in the eyes of your date than at your phone. As I often mention, one of the most extraordinary things about R&B at the time, was the male groups and one of the genuinely Unsung groups out there, is Intro.
They are primarily known for their elegant cover of Stevie Wonder’s classic “Ribbon in the Sky” and the legendary slow jam “Come Inside.” Intro featured group members and longtime friends Kenny Greene, Buddy Wike, and Jeff Sanders. In my opinion, the group’s first two albums, the 1993 self-titled debut, and 1995’s New Life, both still hold up. However, for this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to look back at their 2008 EP Good Love, comprised of unreleased material.
The EP opens up with the title track, a slice of nineties R & R&B. The trio’s harmonies sound immaculate, and I love the Reggae flavored rap at the beginning of the song. Lead singer Kenny Greene sounds right at home as he sings with confidence well ahead of his years.
The ballad “Love Is Here” is up next. The group opens the song with a spoken word that recalls the sounds of seventies soul. I like this song because you can clearly hear the sincerity and yearning in the music that the writer wants to present. This song is better than some entire albums hitting streaming sites today.
Intro closes out the EP with “Under Your Spell.” I feel this was a song intended for the pop charts. There is nothing wrong with a crossover track, but “Under Your Spell” is a different vibe from Intro. While Kenny Greene may not get a chance to fully show out on the vocals, the beat is an infectious groove, and I could easily see this being a club hit.
Intro’s initial run may have been short in the nineties, however, music fans know just how influential they are. Particularly with the work they did on Mary J Blige’s debut. While Good Love is only three songs, it is a worthy addition to their catalog.
Final Grade: B+
Good Love is available on all streaming platforms
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.