Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, May 05, 1999, Page 23, Image 23

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M a y 5 ,1 9 9 9
Page 9
pears
J iv e R e c o r d in g a r tisi B ritn ey
S p e ars kicks off her “ ...Baby O ne
M ore T im e Tour” on Ju n e 28th at
th e A m p h ith e a te r in P o m p a n o
B each , F L to su p p o rt her d eb u t
a lb u m ...B a b y O n e M o re T im e .
Britney’s first headlining tour will be
Ja n u a ry 12, 1999 that the album has
ta k e n o v e r the top sp o t on
Billboard’s “Top 200 A lbum s” chart.
Britney has already had quite a year
with a #1 sin gle for “ ...Baby One
More T im e ” and a #1 album which
has since gone triple platinum.
presented by Tommy Je a n s.
In addition, her album retains its
#1 position for a second week, sell­
in g ov er 2 7 3 ,0 0 0 u n its (th a t s
100,000+ over last week - 62% in­
crease!). Britney’ s rise to #1 m arks
the third tim e since its release on
Three Frum Tha Soul
Throughout R & B’s am azing his­
tory, extremely talented, power-soul
singing groups have been at the core
of its international popularity, influ­
ence and success. From the early days
of the dynamic Dells and tempting
Tem ptations, to the later superstar
turns of Levert, Jod eci and Dru Hill,
tight harmony, mesmerizing melodies
and scintillating leads have defined the
seductive, show-stopping essence of
the Black male crooning collective. In
. . '
that honored, highly entertaining tra­
dition, RCA Records proudly intro­
duces III Frum T h a Soul, a talented
trio from Cincinnati, O hio whose ex­
plosive sound, smooth style and vi­
brant vocal blends populate their im­
pressive self-titled debut CD.
An urban music milestone with un­
deniable crossover potential. III Frum
Tha Soul features the sizzling lead single
“ Black Superman,” a juicy head-nodder
romantically finessed with '90s hip-hop/
funk flavor. Produced by Aaron “ Baby
Boy” Griffin, III Frum Th a Soul’s Big
Jim , G-Child and Rico dig deep down
to the roots of real R&B. But despite its
boastful title, “Black Superman” is not
just another urban male ego trip. Bigjim
explains: “It’s a positive song about a
strong, secure brother who gives mad
props to his lady on all levels: romanti­
cally, spiritually, sexually and intellectu­
ally. He’s a Black Superman with love
and respect for his Black Superwoman.”
Rarely has a new group entered the
chart wars with the vocal, per­
forming and creative ammuni­
tion of III Frum Th a Soul. Mul­
tifaceted, they co-wrote the smol­
dering CD track “Ain't No Way
To Treat A Lady.” And quite
aware that on the production
front there is strength in num­
bers, they elicited several high
p rofile p ro d u cers for their
project. The stellar list includes
Gerald Levert (the group’s men­
tor) & “Tony" Nicholas, Keith
Sweat, Herb Middleton, Todd
Pierce, Gerald Isaac, and the
above-mentioned “ Baby Boy.”
“We’ve been in the business long
enough to know that to be really
successful and achieve longevity.
you have to work with the best,” G-Child
wisely advises. “So when we finally got
the opportunity to record this album for
RCA, we asked for and got top people
who totally related to us and us to them.
There’s no way this album could be as
good as it is if everything and everybody
wasn’t totally in sync.”
Corroborating G-Child’s statement,
the III Frum Tha Soul album reaches
new urban music heights. Its authentic,
straight from the heart of soul chemis­
try embraces the senses, beginning with
the opening track “You Played Me.”
Com posed ar.d produced by Gerald
Levert and Tony Nicholas, the infectious
mid-tempo jam is like a first love - fasci­
nating to experience, impossible to for­
get. “Take It Slow” showcases the sheer
emotional power III Frum Tha Soul de-
livers when belting out serious slow jams.
lovers of all types, who will no doubt
make it “their song.”
A common thread through III
Frum Tha Soul’s lyrical content is
the group’s obvious intention to
project positive romantic images,
offering deserved high regard to the
opposite sex. Search as hard as you
want, the B-word or misogynist mes­
sages can’t be found on this album.
Looking good and totally on
track, as “ Black Superm an” soars
up the charts and their extraordi­
nary, award-worthy album cap­
tures the nation’s hearts, III Frum
T h a Soul’s new R&B saga begins.
Simply put, their message is mu­
sic, their music is magic.
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