En Vogue

Arriving during an era in which the girl-group mantle had been inherited by the thin-voiced likes of Expose and the Cover Girls, En Vogue's full-throated sound immediately set them apart, making them seem the gold standard for R&B pop. Never mind that the quartet was every bit a producer's toy -- the group, comprised of former session and background singers, was assembled by Timex Social Club masterminds Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy -- the mere fact they could sing was enough to ensure they'd be revered as soul revivers.

Even so, what carried Born to Sing wasn't the vocalizing so much as Foster and McElroy's slick New Jack grooves. It wasn't until Funky Divas that the foursome got songs to match the power of their voices (not to mention the persuasion of the beats). Thanks to such singles as "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" and "Free Your Mind," En Vogue was very much in style -- and the group's glamour-puss videos only added sizzle to the package.

Following through on such success, however, turned out to be beyond their abilities. The remix-heavy Runaway Love recycled Divas much in the same way that Remix to Sing redid the first album (although "Whatta Man," with Salt-n-Pepa, almost makes the redundancy worthwhile), and by the time En Vogue returned with a full album, the four were reduced to a trio. But it wasn't the lack of a fourth so much as the absence of strong material that left EV3 wanting; not even contributions from Babyface and Dianne Warren could rekindle the spark of Divas. Three years later, the three tried again with Masterpiece Theater, but judging from the sound, the title appears to have been meant ironically. (J.D. CONSIDINE)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide