Heavenly Harmony (Masterpiece Theatre - En Vogue)

Member Name: Joanna Hudson

Product:	Masterpiece Theatre - En Vogue
Date:	03/07/01 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Harmonies, Fantastic dance tunes, Comical slant on classical pieces.

Disadvantages: Don't listen to this album if you are a serious classical fan, you won't like what you hear!

When the En Vogue album 'Funky Diva's' came out in 1993 I was blown away by the hip-hop beats, exceptional singing and harmony, and attitude of the all-girl R&B group. With such great songs as 'My Lovin' (Never Gonna Get It)' and 'Whatta Man' I think Funky Diva's really is a classic album

It had been the first I had heard Dawn, Terri, Maxine and Cindy, even though they had been on the music scene for a few years before then, and produced the album 'Born to Sing'

Anybody back then who blew En Vogue off as 'just another girl group' were quickly silenced. These girls can sing. I have seen them sing live on MTV and they were incredible. Unlike other groups who sing the topline, these girls performed all the backing notes too, which is not an easy job considering the complicated harmonies these girls sing.

After 'Funky Diva's' one of the band member's (Dawn) left the group and they had a couple of years in silence.

Then came the album 'EV3' which I personally very disappointed with. It didn't have the same attitude and style as Funky Diva's and I thought there were very few standout tracks on EV3.

So, when I heard En Vogue were bringing out a new album in 2000 I waited with baited breath to see if this album would be another letdown or a return to old form.

I am very pleased to say that this is as good as, and possibly even better, than Funky Diva's. The voices are stronger, there are some unbelievable harmonies, and the vibe is definitely strong females with attitude!

There are some brilliant tracks on Masterpiece Theatre. My personal favourites are No, No, No (Can't come back), which has some doo-wap backing remanisant of the Supremes, Latin Soul and Beat of Love, all of which are great feel-good, get-up-and-dance tracks.

The other highlight for me is the group of four songs grouped together in the &
#39;En Vogue Love Suite' in which they take classical pieces and put a Funky beat and some stunning vocals on top. Of course, the classical purists will absolutely hate these tracks, but I think they sound pretty hot and I think they're all done with tongue firmly in cheek. There are no real downsides to this album, although I feel that En Vogue sound much better when doing fast tracks than the ballads, but then I've never really been into love songs anyway. There are only two or three slow tracks on this album, which are all classy; the rest are great floor-fillers.

The voices are confident, the backing is funky and timeless, the beats are infectios, and this album will have you singing and dancing by the end of it. If you love strong voices and hip-hop beats, you will love this album. It is a class above any other music in this genre out there.

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