Jodeci

Four vocalists, two sets of brothers, one new image for the hip-hop/doo-wop of New Jack Swing. The melding of smooth street-corner harmonizing with the rhythms and black consciousness of rap worked well for clean-cut outfits like Boyz II Men, New Edition, and Bell Biv Devoe. But it was Jodeci -- songwriter DeVante Swing and his brother Dalvin DeGrate, and brothers Joel and Cedric Hailey -- who brought some sweat to the satin-sheet contemporary stylings. Forever My Lady's romance-rap broke no musical ground otherwise, but it did showcase the quartet's pleasingly varied vocal strengths and spun off some hits with the title song, cowritten by Al B. Sure!, and the mellow "Come Talk to Me."

With Diary of a Mad Band, Jodeci came on strong, with rich, layered production providing a velvet cushion for Swing's gemlike songwriting. Despite the title and the tough posturing of the foursome on the album's cover, Mad Band is packed with slowhand grooves, the vocalists sounding more earnest and powerful than in their relatively playful debut. Designed not as a single-machine but as a seduction soundtrack, the record varies little in rhythm and intensity. From the love songs ("My Heart Belongs to U" and "Alone") to the Jamaican-inflected funky business of "You Got It," all the way to the suitably steamy "Sweaty" and the afterglow of "Jodecidal Hotlines," the album rides a single dance-soul arc in 13 movements.

Young, rich, and suddenly the objects of attraction to hundreds of fans, a group can get lost in the celebrity maze. The Show, the After Party, the Hotel is a misguided concept album referring specifically to the quartet's own fame, and a long, dull limo ride it is. The grooves are harder and the voices are strong and nimble, but the pompous idea -- an album divided into three conceptual parts, each song alternating with an interlude -- weighs down the elaborate production. It doesn't take long for the songs to sound repetitive, and the concept is only of interest to someone intimately acquainted with the goings-on at the show, the after party, and the hotel. (ARION BERGER)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide