Buffalo-based new jack swing group burst onto the scene with the debut single, the catchy “Live and Learn.” However, their self-titled debut also featured an elegant ballad in the form of “I Miss You.” The track starts with an elegant instrumental before lead singer Kevin Scott comes in to croon how he feels about a love lost. The group produces the song along with Lionel Job with a sound in the vein of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The lyrics in the song are relatable, and I am sure anyone can relate to them:
I miss you, it’s been so long
Since I had you wake up next to me
I miss you, I’m coming home
There’s no place that I would rather be
I wake up every morning
And reach to pull you close to me
There’s nothing but the pillow
And not your sexy body I called you up
Just to hear your voice
I can’t wait ’till get home to you
Then we’ll spend some time alone.
Songs about heartbreak were a staple of nineties R&B, and “I Miss You” is an excellent addition to the catalog of nineties slow jams.
Final Grade: A-
“I Miss You” from Joe Public is available on all streaming forms.
Nineties R&B was home to many female groups, so standing out took more than good looks and a major industry endorsement. I still remember seeing Allure in a Vibe ad and thinking how gorgeous those four women were. The question was whether they had the talent to compete in the music scene.
In 1996, I first heard the Houston quartet Ideal on the Original Gangsters soundtrack. Their interpretation of Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues,” featuring the Chi-Lites, caught my attention.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.