I have previously mentioned the perks of growing up in the nineties, particularly discovering a great R&B gem on a movie soundtrack. Often, artists would release a track on a soundtrack, building anticipation for an album that might not even be released. This week’s Second Listen Sunday featured artist Night & Day falls into the former group.
Night & Day was a musical duo from Flint, Michigan, consisting of Gasner Hughes and Tonyatta Martinez. I was introduced to the group through their debut single, “Dante’s Girl,” featured on the coming-of-age classic The Wood soundtrack. The track presents itself as an R&B thuggery ballad reminiscent of Jodeci and a disgraced Windy City crooner whose identity shall remain anonymous. The lyrics delve into the complexities of loyalty, temptation, and integrity within relationships.
It was challenging to ascertain which duo member sang the lead vocals. However, the song deserves credit for proficiently highlighting the internal struggle of a man torn between friendship and desire. Ultimately, the song emphasizes the importance of honesty, loyalty, and staying true to one’s values. That said, where R&B was headed at the time, “Dante’s Girl” was the right song to introduce the group to the industry.
I was living in El Paso when the group’s album came out, and given that there wasn’t a dominant urban station, the group received no attention down there. My research shows that “Sex Me The Way You Dance feat. Too Short” was the second single. Along with the album track “Can You Feel It,” they aimed at the hip-hop crowd, but neither was memorable.
The rest of the album is typical R&B tropes you would find on any album at the time, and song titles like “You Pulled Me out the Game,” “What The Deal Be? (Baby’s Daddy),” and “I’ll Make You Say Oh” do little to separate the group from their R&B counterparts at the time. I can’t help but wonder why the label didn’t link them with label mates JOE or R Kelly for a couple of radio hits.
To date, Night & Day hasn’t released another album, and while I respect the group for writing and producing most of the album, I can also understand why they were a one-and-done group.
Final Grade: C+
Night & Day is available on all streaming platforms.
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