Lovher:
Loveher
Release date: May 20, 2002
Album Review by: : Fiona Mckinson
1.
How Its Gonna Be
2. Girlfriend
3.
Love
4.
Do you know me
5.
Girls gonna Do
6.
Dont Leave
7.
Your Man
8.
Commitment
9.
You Dont Know Me (feat. Sisqo)
Lovher
Release date: May 20th 2002
Lovher
are the latest R&B quartet on the block. Founded by Sisqo
and the Dru Hill camp, they are destined
to make some headlines but success by association may be all that is loveable
about this group. Serenade, Chinky,
Kenji, and Buttah
are the first all female group to be signed to the Def Soul/Dragon Records
label. They must be under some pressure to make an impact in the charts,
but in this era of Destiny's Child
and pop R&B, it is questionable as to how much of a dent they will
really make.
Their debut album starts out with an Xscape-esque
vibe with the track 'How its gonna be'. It is a nice track - a sentimental
tale pitting boyfriend against parents with girlfriend obviously on the
side of her 'Lover/Friend/Soldier'. But Lovher have more to battle with
besides their parents. You see the girls can sing: there are plenty of
nice tracks for example 'girlfriend' identifies a wisdom in the theme
of sisterhood and encourages women to love themselves, but as important
as this theme is, you get the feeling that you have heard it all before
thanks to numerous R&B references. This is detrimental because 'nice'
is not enough in such an overcrowded market place.
Many tracks
make the listener feel indifferent or sound the same, and then there are
the clichés and lame lyrics, which make Lovher non-distinguishable
from their contemporaries. This effort suggests that Lovher would sell
more singles or soundtracks than albums. This is a run of the mill album;
'Do you know me' is the standard catchy up-tempo number. It, like much
of the album is about love, but this song is sang with attitude and definitely
one to sing along to. 'Don't leave me' is another safe bet. 'Commitment'
is ok, and of course the album would not be complete if it did not feature
a contribution from their mentor Sisqo himself. On the last track 'You
don't know me', we are finally treated to some spice, but his injection
of energy is perhaps too little too late.
The
unforgettable track and possibly only real single, is number 7 'Your man'.
This is a WICKED tune that demonstrates why Lovher were signed. The quality
of this one song makes it seem as though you're listening to a totally
different album. It is already doing the circuit on underground radio/dance
floors and mix tapes alike. Maybe it is just the theme about cheating,
but whatever is behind this magic formula, the girls need to grasp it
and quick. Lovher definitely show promise and potential. They co wrote
several tracks, and lets not forget their debut on Sisqo's first solo
record. There they duetted on one hell of a Jodeci
style slow jam.
With the diverse productions, and youthfulness, there is something of interest in the universal themes and some good lines. The album must be someone's cup of tea. It does grow on you but the lacklustre first impression might not be enough to grant a second chance. It is worth another listen if only for my favourite track. Overall the album is average - it lacks some bite, some edge. It is neither exciting nor a must have. Maybe they have got staying power they have vocal strength, but they need equally strong material. Also a clearer identity. Lovher will really have to step up their game if they want to make any type of long term impression be it financial or historical, otherwise they could fade in the same direction as Sisqo, and the last line on the album "Can you love me? I don't think so", will be oh too true.
Personal
Favorite Tracks:
1.
Hows It Gonna Be
4.
Do You Know Me
7.
Your Man
Overall rating:
3 out of 5
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