EV3
| EV3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by En Vogue | ||||
| Released | June 17, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | September 1996—May 1997 | |||
| Genre | R&B, pop, hip hop | |||
| Length | 59:00 | |||
| Label | eastwest | |||
| Producer | Babyface, En Vogue, Andrea Martin, Chris Bolden, Ivan Matias, Organized Noize, Pro-Jay, David Foster, Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy | |||
| En Vogue chronology | ||||
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| Singles from EV3 | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (B-)[2] |
| Chicago Tribune |  6/97, p.7[3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (C+)[4] |
| Los Angeles Times | [5] |
| Newsweek | (favorable)[6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
| Spin | (7/10)[8] |
| The State | [9] |
EV3 is the third studio album by En Vogue. Originally called "Friendship" It was their first project that was not fully produced by Thomas McElroy & Denzil Foster, the then quartet called on hitmakers Babyface, David Foster, Diane Warren, and Ivan Matias among others to provide the group with a new modern sound.
EV3 was the last album recorded with Dawn Robinson who decided to leave the group for a solo career. Her abrupt departure from En Vogue forced the remaining trio to re-record several of Dawn's original lead vocals; however, not every track was re-recorded, with Dawn's leads remaining intact on several tracks and her background vocals still appearing on every song with the exception of "Does Anybody Hear Me".
EV3 spawned two hit singles. The first, "Whatever", reached gold status in the US. The second one, the ballad "Too Gone, Too Long" was less successful. The giant hit "Don't Let Go (Love)" was also included as a key track on EV3. "Let It Flow" was a contender to be a final single. Plans for a single release never materialized, but it did appear the following year on the Greatest Hits compilation Best of En Vogue.
Track 07 "Let It Flow" reuses the main riff of the 1977 hit single "Slide" by funk band Slave.[3]
Track listing
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Lead (**Original Lead by Dawn Robinson) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Whatever" | BabyFace, Keith Andes, Giuliano Franco | Cindy, Maxine, Terry, (Cindy) | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Don't Let Go (Love)" | Marqueeze Etheridge, Organized Noize, Andrea Martin, Ivan Matias | Dawn, Maxine, Cindy, Terry | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Right Direction" | Christopher Bolden, J.B. Eckl | Terry, Maxine, Cindy, (Maxine) | 5:07 |
| 4. | "Damn I Wanna Be Your Lover" | Pro-Jay, Martin, Matias | Terry | 5:24 |
| 5. | "Too Gone, Too Long" | Diane Warren | Cindy, Terry, Maxine, (Terry) | 4:42 |
| 6. | "You're All I Need" | Matias | (Cindy) | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Let It Flow" | Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy | Terry, Cindy, Maxine, Dawn | 5:38 |
| 8. | "Sitting by Heaven's Door" | Foster, McElroy | Maxine, Dawn, Cindy, Terry | 4:34 |
| 9. | "Love Makes You Do Thangs" | Foster, McElroy | Cindy, Dawn, Maxine, Terry | 4:27 |
| 10. | "What a Difference a Day Makes" | Foster, McElroy | Cindy, Terry, Maxine, (Cindy) | 4:12 |
| 11. | "Eyes of a Child" | Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones | Cindy | 4:32 |
| 12. | "Does Anybody Hear Me" | Matias, Ellis, Herron, Jones | Terry, Maxine | 3:09 |
| 13. | "I've Got Your Gun" (International Bonus Track) | Foster, McElroy | Cindy, Maxine, Dawn, Terry | 4:19 |
| 14. | "It's About Love" (Japan Bonus Track) | Ellis, Herron, Jones, Gass, James, Matias, Robinson | Cindy, Dawn, Terry, Maxine | 5:12 |
| 15. | "Keep Your Money" (Japan Bonus Track) | Matias, Griffin | Cindy, Maxine | 4:17 |
The Impact of Dawn's Departure
Dawn Robinson's lead vocals still appear on all of the Thomas McElroy & Denzil Foster produced songs, with the only exceptions being Eyes of a Child (her background Vocals still remain) & Does Anybody Hear Me on which none of her vocals appear.
Chart success
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 8 |
| Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 8 |
| Dutch Album Top 100 | 14 |
| UK Album Chart | 9 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 12 |
- The album was certified platinum by the RIAA. It sold over four million copies worldwide.
- Recording Studios: Brandon's Way Recording Studio, Doppler Recording Studios, The Record Plant, Music Grinder, FM Studios, Chartmaker Studios & Westlake Studios.
References
- ↑ EV3 at AllMusic
- ↑ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=En+Vogue
- 1 2 Eng, Monica. "Review: EV3". Chicago Tribune: 7. June 10, 1997.
- ↑ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,288430,00.html
- ↑ http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/12539875.html?dids=12539875:12539875&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+15%2C+1997&author=Connie+Johnson&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=ALBUM+REVIEW%3B+***+EN+VOGUE+%22EV3%22+Elektra&pqatl=google
- ↑ http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/1997/06/22/and-then-there-were-three.html
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20081019003233/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/envogue/albums/album/122916/review/5944987/ev3
- ↑ http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1096049&style=music
- ↑ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CS&s_site=thestate&p_multi=CS&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB586916898014D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
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