JD Presents More From JE (J.E. Heartbreak - Jagged Edge)

Member Name: XICripZ

Product:	J.E. Heartbreak - Jagged Edge
Date:	12/04/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Consistent

Disadvantages: A couple of tracks let it down

Jagged Edge came out with their second album, "J.E Heartbreak" in 2000, three years after debuting in 1997 with "A Jagged Era". The Atlanta quartet: Brasco, Case Dinero, Quick and Wingo came back with even more of their high-quality, soulful R&B with the aid of Jermain Dupri as the hypeman for the club tunes, and producer pretty much throughout.

1. "Heartbreak" (Intro"

2. "Did She Say"

Personally, I didn't think that this was the bst way to start things off, especially when you compare it to later tracks on the album. Jermaine Durpi (JD) gets a chance to show off his stop-start beats from the start of this one, and it allows them to really try to get all they can out of it, but there's something about it which holds it back and keeps it at the same level throughout.

**Three Stars**

3. "He Can't Love U"

This one was the first single off the album, and has been said to be the one to break them into mainstream attention. I expect that this was the case in the US, as I can't recall hearing it until when I went through the whole album. It is definitely a strong one though, and upps the quality of the thing from early on the album as they get straight into the emotive love songs.

**Four Stars**

4. "What You Tryin' to Do"

This one has them experimenting with what they are capable of as you have Brasco taking lead in this one and he varies the speed at which he sings, or half-raps the opening verse, and from here it gives them a chance to trial something a little different from the normative, and they really make it work for them as they try a riskily original one.

**Four Stars**

5. "Girl Is Mine"

The funky beeats used in this one set it up as a banger from the start, and with JD presenting Jagged Edge from the start of this one, you have him rapping on top of this one as they get into some exciting material which has them performing one about how happy they are to have got the girl that everyone is after. You can really feel the emotions of the singers, and it makes it what it is.

**Five Stars**

6. "Healing"

The high standard of it all persists through this one as you have them going into more of the good stuff. If you are aware of "Promise", which is found later on in the album, then I would say that it shares many qualities of that one, the main diffenrence being that this one is of a much quicker pace, and it shows that they can adapt certain things to a variety of tunes.

**Four Stars**

7. "Let's Get Married"

This is one of their most well-known tunes and keeps getting brought up as it has them performing a tune which, for oneir life. Here you have has them able to do a slow one which doesn't use senusality to get throug things, or do a soppy one which has them explaining how they can't go on without a girl in their life. This is a straight-forward love song with a simple message (all in the title).

**Four Stars**

8. "True Man"

I believe that sampling Zapp's "Computer Love", is somethgin which kept em engaged in this one as they get into a slow jam, and lower the pace in order to get down into a real love song where they are forced to bring out absolutely everything in order to explain their feelings to the girl that they love. It has them doing things in a much more gentle way to usual, and it works for them.

**Four Stars**

9. "Can I Get with You"

You have them coming with a lively one here as Jermaine Dupri chooses to give them some grooving beats to work with and tops it off with lots of Hip Hop techniques, such as sampling, scratches, and hype rhymes in the background. It is a strong one off the album, and has making the most of their apparent talent for singing in a wide range of tones.

**Five Stars**

10. "Promise"

You have them doing one of their most well-known slow jams here as the tempo is lowered and the work on some production which appears to take on a new age ballad form with glimpses of the past, just with a more lively arrangement. It has the showing exactly how well they are able to perform the lyrics given to them, and it comes across as geniune as they attempt to convice their girls how true they are.

**Four Stars**

11. "Keys To The Range"

This was my favourite single off the album, obviously differing in opinion to everyone else as this was the only single not to chart. JD comes with some killer, off-beat production as an experimental thing, but the melodies that the quartet build off it is simply amazing, and I don't know whay it didn't get that much attention. It is one of the best they have ever come out with.

**Five Stars**

12. "Lace You"

To end the album off we have a tune which gets them coming with an energetic club one as a final lift off the hype of another banger from them. You have some clear beats from Bryan-Michael Cox for this, and you have him using the general form of R&B tracks around 2000 as everyone began coming with lots of innovative new sounds to use, and here it really builds the tune up nicely for them to sing on.

**Five Stars**

There is a lot to like about this album with so many big hits coming from them, and having them stay consistently strong throughout the thing. It is highly varied too with them doing all they can in the short time they have. This was the album which, as a British listner, had them get to the stage from which they could finally make it big (as one single, especially, off the album after it had them certainly make it into the mainstream).

Summary: Jagged Edge's second album