After a three-year hiatus, R&B quartet Xscape returned to the R&B scene with their third album, Traces of My Lipstick. Despite the angelic sound in their voices, the image on the first two albums was more Hip Hop. However, for the group’s third album, the cover saw the ladies in elegant red attire, tapping more into their sex appeal. For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, the typical choice would be to go for “The Arms of the One Who Love You” or “My Little Secret.” However, I decided to go with the album’s third single and my favorite Xscape song, “Softest Place on Earth.”
R&B hitmaker JOE and his writing partner Joshua Thompson penned the elegant slow jam, which perfectly highlighted the singing talents of the group. While the song is about sensuality, it never becomes crass or vulgar. Instead of hearing the song as an adult in a relationship, it’s a song that a woman will play to show her mate just how she feels about it. Who wouldn’t want to be in an intimate moment with your special someone with these lyrics in the background?
Baby won’t you come inside,
I’ll take you on a fantasy ride.
Take a journey through my universe,
My love’s the softest place on earth.
You don’t have to pull the blinds,
Let the neighbors lose their minds.
Baby, you can be the first,
Inside the softest place on earth.
While Xscape would go on too long of a hiatus after this single, the song stood the test of time.
Final Grade: A
“Softest Place on Earth” from Traces of My Lipstick is available on all streaming platforms
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I took a trip back to 2007 and revisited “Don’t Talk Just Listen” from the group B5. Hailing from the Peach State, B5 comprised the Breeding Brothers, Bryan, Carnell, Dustin, Kelly, and Patrick. Initially finding success two years earlier with their cover of The Jackson 5’s “All I Do,” their debut did just enough with their preteen fans to warrant a second album.
With the exception of a few cases, R&B groups experienced a period of stagnation in 2007. While some groups continued to tour and perform their renowned classics, releasing new music was infrequent. To commemorate this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I would like to acknowledge a notable piece from Jagged Edge’s sixth album, “Baby Makin Project,” titled “Whole Town’s Laughing At Me.”
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, we are taking a trip to the Great Lake State and showing some love to R&B Band Ready for The World and their self-titled debut album. Arriving in stores on May 14, 1985, via MCA Records, the album on which the band produced their first single was “Tonight.”
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