The bad boys of Jagged Edge seem to want their cake and eat it too on these 16 songs; on some tracks, they're portraying the streetwise ghetto dudes; on others, they're sensitive lover-men. They lack the versatility to pull off some of the sensitive stuff they attempt on their self-titled fifth album, but the group's right at home with the more risque stuff. Unless you're a longtime fan, the CD isn't a must-own, but the group might win a few new fans thanks to Latin/reggaeton hit "So Amazing."
A Little Rough ... a Little Smooth
The R&B bad boys of Jagged Edge have always been rough around the edges -- lyrically, vocally and subject matter-wise. And they reinforce this truth on their self-titled fifth album. The opening track, "Ghetto Guitar" is a perfect example of this as they literally sing the praises of a chick from the 'hood:
As good as you are, don’t change a thing, we can tune it like guitar strings ... Sometimes, you be kinda hard, like you’re tryin’ to be my bodyguard on the boulevard. The female-worship continues on "So High," a bouncy, up-tempo tune that compares a sexy woman to being under the influence of a drug:
"And when she’s gone, I can’t wait 'til we meet up, this girl is like my drug, I gotta re-up, 'cause without her, I’m like nothin' at all."
Throughout the album, the pendulum swings back and forth between the sensitive songs and the lustful ones. One of the more genuine-sounding love songs is "Good Luck Charm:"
"Every time that something good happens in my life, you’re always there for me, lookin’ good by my side … so much good has come my way since you came into my life, I’ll never push you away, or brush you off to the side … see, I got so much love for you in these arms, don’t you know that you’re my good luck charm."
As good as you are, don’t change a thing, we can tune it like guitar strings ... Sometimes, you be kinda hard, like you’re tryin’ to be my bodyguard on the boulevard. The female-worship continues on "So High," a bouncy, up-tempo tune that compares a sexy woman to being under the influence of a drug:
"And when she’s gone, I can’t wait 'til we meet up, this girl is like my drug, I gotta re-up, 'cause without her, I’m like nothin' at all."
Throughout the album, the pendulum swings back and forth between the sensitive songs and the lustful ones. One of the more genuine-sounding love songs is "Good Luck Charm:"
"Every time that something good happens in my life, you’re always there for me, lookin’ good by my side … so much good has come my way since you came into my life, I’ll never push you away, or brush you off to the side … see, I got so much love for you in these arms, don’t you know that you’re my good luck charm."
"So Amazing"
Album cover © Columbia/Sony Music.
The first single, “So Amazing,” is produced by Jermaine Dupri, and is a hot, catchy, sexy ode to hot, sexy, women. It features reggaeton artist Voltio (who kicks a few rap verses in Spanish), and is a obvious ploy to attract young Latin music fans, but it works. Another winning collaboration is with John Legend, who sings and plays piano on "Season’s Change." The song stands out greatly from the others because of the piano and serious, almost somber tone, which is very similar to Legend’s own bare-bones, piano-driven track, "Ordinary People."
In what may be a first for R&B, an entire song here is devoted to sunglasses. The track, produced by longtime J.E. collaborator Jermaine Dupri is called “Stunnas,” and is possibly the biggest guilty pleasure on the CD. Despite being a heavily Hip-Hop influenced mindless ode to sunglasses, you can't help but love "Stunnas." And from the sound of it, the song could be a big radio hit throughout the summer of '06.
Another song marred by too much of a Hip-Hop influence is "Get A Lil’ Bit of This," which features a pointless, meandering rap at the end, consisting mainly of name dropping and shout-outs. Incorporating Hip-Hop into R&B is fine, but this particular track failed badly at it.
In what may be a first for R&B, an entire song here is devoted to sunglasses. The track, produced by longtime J.E. collaborator Jermaine Dupri is called “Stunnas,” and is possibly the biggest guilty pleasure on the CD. Despite being a heavily Hip-Hop influenced mindless ode to sunglasses, you can't help but love "Stunnas." And from the sound of it, the song could be a big radio hit throughout the summer of '06.
Another song marred by too much of a Hip-Hop influence is "Get A Lil’ Bit of This," which features a pointless, meandering rap at the end, consisting mainly of name dropping and shout-outs. Incorporating Hip-Hop into R&B is fine, but this particular track failed badly at it.
Forgettable Songs
In addition to "A Lil' Bit of This," there's a few songs that are either forgettable or could have used tighter vocal and/or musical arrangements; the sappy "Watch You" and the lukewarm "Hopefully," especially.
There are guest performers galore, including the aforementioned John Legend and Jermaine Dupri, plus Sosa on the mack-adelic "See Me Looking," and rapper Big Duke (of Boyz N Da Hood), who's featured on "Sexy American Girls." Too many featured guests can distract from the main artists' sometimes, but with the exception of the always-overpowering Dupri, the guest performances enhance the overall product, rather than detract from it.
Overall, J.E.'s at it's best when it sticks to its forte: saucy, semi-naughty material that doesn’t go stray too far over the edge (although they actually do get a little too ghetto on a couple of tracks). So, the bottom line is: when they play the loveable bad boy role, it's all good; but when they venture into Boyz II Men territory, things go wrong.
There are guest performers galore, including the aforementioned John Legend and Jermaine Dupri, plus Sosa on the mack-adelic "See Me Looking," and rapper Big Duke (of Boyz N Da Hood), who's featured on "Sexy American Girls." Too many featured guests can distract from the main artists' sometimes, but with the exception of the always-overpowering Dupri, the guest performances enhance the overall product, rather than detract from it.
Overall, J.E.'s at it's best when it sticks to its forte: saucy, semi-naughty material that doesn’t go stray too far over the edge (although they actually do get a little too ghetto on a couple of tracks). So, the bottom line is: when they play the loveable bad boy role, it's all good; but when they venture into Boyz II Men territory, things go wrong.