For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I decided to venture to Charm City and pay tribute to R&B duo Ruff Endz and their debut album, “Love Crimes”. Consisting of members David “Davinch” Chance, who possessed a smooth tenor which blended well with Dante “Chi” Jordan’s gruff baritone, Ruff Endz hit the scene at the right time in the spring of 2000.
My initial introduction was on the soundtrack to the 1999 film “Blue Streak” with the mid-tempo track “Please Don’t Forget About Me”. Produced by Dru Hill’s Nokio, the song wasn’t anything special, despite a strong vocal, and came across more as filler. However, it was another soundtrack effort six months later that won me over. In the spring of 2000, the duo appeared on the soundtrack of the dance film “Center Stage”.
Their contribution was the ballad “If I Was the One,” written by the legendary Diane Warren, with production from Khris Kellow and Nokio. This commercial song explores the theme of unrequited love. On paper, the duo’s label wanted to introduce them to a pop audience first before targeting an urban crowd. The duo won me over, and I looked forward to their album.
A few weeks later, in the summer, the group’s lead single, “No More,” began to receive radio airplay and became an instant hit. The up-tempo bop was produced by Eddie F and Darren Lighty, who co-wrote it with Balewa Muhammad. The infectious production finds the group crooning about their relationship ending as their lady love has been unfaithful and was only using them for their money. David and Dante each lead a verse, giving them both a chance to show off their vocal stylings.
The album’s next single, “Where Does Love Go from Here,” continued the theme of infidelity. Group member David Chance wrote the song with Mike Clemons and Nate Clemons, who also handled production. Chance also takes the lead vocal here, crooning with a grit that would make Bobby Womack proud. Chance sings about issues with his woman and questioning where to go, as it’s clear they have different viewpoints on a possible future together.
At the time the album was released, I was living down south, so I don’t know if there was an official third single; however, I do remember mixtapes from East Coast DJs promoting “Are You F****Around”. Surprisingly, their label didn’t push a third single, given their intense ballads and slow jams, such as the Bryan Michael Cox-produced “Missing You” and the hit “The World to Me,” penned by Corey Rooney and a then-unsigned Robin Thicke.
Like most R&B groups of the time, it seems that Ruff Endz may have fallen victim to the shift in R&B music and under-promotion from their label. While some of the faster songs are dated, the group’s ballads and slow jams haven’t aged a day.
Final Grade: B
“Love Crimes” is available on all streaming platforms.
My introduction to Nate Dogg goes back to Dr. Dre’s 1992 debut, The Chronic, and the song “Deeez Nuuuts.” Even then, something about Nate’s voice set him apart from everybody else. He wasn’t just singing on rap records. He was bringing soul, gospel, street knowledge, and West Coast cool into the same space. He set the standard for hook singers in hip-hop, and dare I say, he’s still vastly underrated.
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to give Stevie Wonder his due as he prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his masterpiece, “Songs in the Key of Life,” on tour. While the easy choice could have been “Knocks Me Off My Feet”—a classic that still resonates fifty years later—I chose “From the Bottom of My Heart,” the second single from his twenty-third studio album, “A Time to Love,” released in 2005.
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.