Happy 25th Anniversary to En Vogue’s third studio album EV3, originally released June 17, 1997.
“A musical dynasty has just become a magical trinity.” That’s how the booklet of En Vogue’s third album EV3 framed the seismic shift that rocked one of the 1990s’ biggest girl groups of not just R&B, but any genre. This project would be very different from any delivered previously. For such a beautiful thing to come forth, the delivery itself had more than a few complications.
What’s ironic is that Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy initially only wanted three women for what would become En Vogue. (Be careful what you ask for.) Instead, fate brought them Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, Terry Ellis, and Dawn Robinson, four uncommonly attractive women with star appeal and vocal acumen to match. Their debut album Born To Sing (1990) minted a huge fanbase with three #1s including “Hold On.”
The momentum continued with sophomore blockbuster Funky Divas (1992). This triple-platinum LP supplied more #1s (“My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” and the Aretha Franklin remake “Giving Him Something He Can Feel”), plus the MTV-dominating, maverick rock indulgence “Free Your Mind.” Without stopping, they joined Salt-N-Pepa for “Whatta Man” even while Herron was pregnant with her first child. The chart-topper was appropriately folded into En Vogue’s stopgap remix EP Runaway Love (1993).
In the interim, Ellis carved out time for her elegant solo exhibition Southern Gal (1995). Robinson too was negotiating a solo deal with EastWest, though she had not reached a satisfactory agreement. Like Herron, Jones also became a wife and mother during that period. With years elapsed since Funky Divas, rumors of their breakup started to bubble, to which Jones simply responded, “Not true.”
This chatter was quelled by their biggest smash ever: the epic theatricality of “Don’t Let Go (Love).” This passionate, rock-soul departure was crafted by Organized Noize, Ivan Matias, and the late Andrea Martin for the Set It Off soundtrack (1996). It was also En Vogue’s first release sans Foster & McElroy. Primarily led by Robinson, the confrontational burner was her finest hour, though Herron and Jones steal the scene on its unforgettable bridge. The platinum single went #1 on the US R&B charts, #2 Pop, and Top 5 in multiple countries internationally. Pressure was mounting to put solo work aside to finish the next group disc.
The self-assured and feisty Robinson, however, does not do aside. She took umbrage with her disproportionate earnings. Their gestating project—tentatively titled Friendship—was nearly complete when Robinson announced she was leaving En Vogue in April 1997. Talks with label head Sylvia Rhone had soured and Robinson chose to jettison camp before being forced into a bad contract, solo or otherwise.
The sudden crash of this news sent fans careening. The “Quad Squad” would have to reorient as a threesome, and fast. With the type of poise most could not regain after vaulting such obstacles, En Vogue presented the mature and aptly-retitled EV3 that summer—a scrappy, sharpened Swiss army knife of R&B, pop, and funk.
They sliced deepest on its Babyface-helmed first cut “Whatever.” Impacting only weeks before EV3’s release, this first taste of triplex En Vogue made room for each to shine. Heavy on bump, yet pop aerodynamic, and still public response to it was mixed. Many missed the hidden message in its dark, satirical music video that cast them as glamorous, tortured zombies. The song and video were so long misunderstood, I penned an in-depth editorial in defense of its overlooked merits.
Their next radio maneuver was the slick big ballad “Too Gone, Too Long” written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. Clearly, they were aiming for success on both sides of the pop-R&B divide. Herron wields her verse with austerity while Jones soars on its bridge before tagging Ellis for a showstopping close. Even with all systems go, the single fared much better overseas than it did domestically.
Curiously, Warren and Foster also authored a “Too Gone” soundalike in 1999 for Whitney Houston. Though her “I Learned from the Best” is similar in sound, structure, subject, and approach, Houston’s legendary voice had a much easier time with adult contemporary channels. En Vogue was relatively new to that arena. Both EV3 singles were eligible, but couldn’t fully connect. Were these sonic upgrades alienating their loyal audience?
At the time of Funky Divas, they might don hourglass dresses and arm-length gloves to perform their hip-hop kissed, coy-but-come-hither hits. By 1997 though, they pulled a Freaky Friday swap on their music and image. For EV3, their clothes got funkier, and their music got classier.
The first half of EV3 is urbane and sonically forward-leaning. It loads up the three big commercial singles and then stacks the deck with Martin & Mattias collaborations. Herron’s bright, electric vocals on “You’re All I Need” pair glossy doo-wop influences with Run-DMC’s “Sucker MCs.” The dramatic ethos of “Don’t Let Go” is deftly revisited on the Ellis-lead “Damn I Wanna Be Your Lover”–no relation to the Sophie B. Hawkins rocker, of course. The gritty “Right Direction” is perfect for Jones’ candied gospel voice, and its prominent slide guitar indicated EV3 would favor musical dynamism over safety.
The latter half reunites the ensemble with Foster & McElroy to immediately rev the funk motor on “Let It Flow.” This Slave-sampling groove is so potent, it was likely a lead-single candidate before the label brought in outside producers. It sports the type of big beat stomp-clap that made a hit for fellow Oakland-based musical relatives Toni! Tony! Toné! in 1996 with “Let’s Get Down.”
Foster & McElroy have a way of bringing the best out of these voices as on the sunny, skippy “What a Difference a Day Makes.” They employ Young-Holt Unlimited’s “Soulful Strut” for the lighthearted “Love Makes You Do Thangs” which recalls the ‘70s influence of The Emotions. And the Isley-esque slow jam “Sitting by Heaven’s Door” frees Ellis’ angelic soprano to rise its highest. These songs inject just enough youthfulness to balance the sonic colors of EV3.
In a sense, the massive success of “Don’t Let Go (Love)” split En Vogue’s sound even before Robinson could split their lineup. Core fans easily took to Foster & McElroy’s synth-and-sample work. However, the impact of that one defining hit demanded exploration with Martin & Matias. While it didn’t yield another “Don’t Let Go,” it simply had to be done and that’s that on that.
It’s bittersweet that most of Robinson’s leads were either resung or removed from EV3. She brought a distinct tone to the group’s sound. It pings fondly on “Let It Flow,” “Sitting By Heaven’s Door,” “Damn, I Wanna Be Your Lover,” and imports that include “It’s About Love” and the saucy “I’ve Got Your Gun.” Hearing her residuum is like seeing photos of a loved one gone too soon.
Nevertheless, the adventurous EV3 reached #8 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Across the pond, it actually topped the UK R&B Albums chart. Although late, “Let It Flow” finally achieved a limited single release to promote Best of En Vogue (1999).
By 2000, they returned to home with Foster & McElroy piloting their concept album Masterpiece Theatre. Robinson temporarily formed the supergroup Lucy Pearl with Toni! Tony! Toné!’s Raphael Saadiq and A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad before again quitting to focus on solo music. Eventually Jones also grew tired of lopsided business arrangements and went her own way, still performing as she desires.
After much of a decade marked by rotating personnel, a triangle has proven the strongest structure in geometry and music. Herron and Ellis ultimately stabilized theirs with multitalented vocalist Rhona Bennett. They’ve endured likely because of lessons learned during EV3. No matter what happens now, these women know how to shift and survive.
Enjoyed this article? Read more about En Vogue here:
Born To Sing (1990) | Funky Divas (1992) | Masterpiece Theatre (2000) | Interviews
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