Three sing from the soul

To help them make an impact on their debut, III Frum tha Soul brought in big name artists Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat to produce several tracks. Unfortunately, the three of the four songs they did for this group ("You Played Me," "Come On," and "My Body") don't match their stellar efforts on "LSG" a year ago. In fact, with a few notable exceptions, this turns out to be a very unspectacular debut for the group.

The biggest problem with III Frum tha Soul is a lack of originality. You've heard everything they've done before (like the supposedly seductive "Treat You Right"), and you've heard it done better. On top of that, there are instances where the group misses the mark completely. For instance, on "Fever," they take a perfectly good Barry White song and butcher it six ways to Sunday. Even when there is something original about the song, there is always something else about the same tune that makes it hard to listen to more than once. A perfect example is the decent songwriting on "Denying my Love," which is lost in the bland beat and uninspired singing.

The group does have potential, and it shows in songs like the thoughtful "Damn," and the well-sung "Diamond in the Sky." In fact, on one song the Levert/Sweat tandem get right for them ("Break Me Off a Piece"), and is the best song on the album.

The problem is, there really aren't enough songs where you'll hear the combination of good vocals, good lyrics, and good background music all at once. If you're desperate for new R&B, then "III Frum tha Soul" Isn't a bad choice ... but you certainly wouldn't be missing anything by just waiting until Februrary's releases hit the stores.

01-12-99