Throughout “Sensitivity” and his later work, Ralph Tresvant’s high tenor voice had evolved from his squeaky Michael Jackson manqué to a more polished and refined high tenor tone. As far as his voice is concerned, he was still a perfect fit for a romantic or good-guy ballad, and “Sensitivity” from the 1990’s worked like a charm and became a classic.
During the recording of the 1988 album Heart Break, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis collaborated with Tresvant’s group New Edition. As a result of using these two producers for his solo album, Ralph Tresvant has one of the most outstanding songs on the Ralph Tresvant CD. The team had also worked with Alexander O’Neal during his tenure, and “Sensitivity” is similar to his work but with a lighter touch and voice.
Having said that, this song is probably only able to work if the singer has a soft, appealing voice and a charismatic personality that will help this song shine. It is Tresvant’s deal here, and he does it exceptionally well. . In my opinion, the biggest accomplishment in Tresvant’s voice was the fact that he managed to convey that sensitivity could be viewed as a virtue. I like how he did not make it sound like a wimpy or wishy-washy statement, nor did he seem to be trying to get even more dates by using it as a ploy.
It was recorded at the renowned Flyte Time Studios in Minneapolis, where the song was recorded. Although much of the R&B of the early 1990s did not make it through the times all that well, “Sensitivity” manages to succeed mainly due to Tresvant’s vocals and Jam and Lewis’ classic R&B sense of melody and rhythm.
Final Grade: A
Sensitivity 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.