Customer Reviews

Down 4 Whatever

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If not for my growing interest in New Jack Swing albums by long subsidized girl groups, I would never have found Nuttin' Nyce's funky, sexually liberated album. While most female vocal groups weigh down their albums by oversinging to cliche beats and lyrics, Nuttin' Nyce know their limits. They are fully aware that they don't have Mariah's vocal range or Kelly Price's emotional prowess. Instead, they opt for funky, up-tempo songs that conincide with their lush, brassy harmonies and flirtatious solos. It's clear that all these women wanted to do was get their freak on while cruising the streets of the West Coast. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but their pension for sexually ripe material could very well have spelt their downfall as a group. If all debut albums by vocal groups could be this funky and carefree it might ensure both longevity and creative success in the future. Among the albums highlight's are "Froggy Style," which samples a classic George Clinton tune, "Down 4 Whateva," "Nasty Girl," and "U Ain't Gotta Lie to Kick it." For casual r&b listeners itching for a funky, mid-90's classic, defitnitely cop this album.

In 1993 (October 12th), Jive records released the Club/Dance ready/new jack swing-ish Down 4 Whateva; a vocal trio leaded by Contemporary R&B singer Eboni Foster. Formed in 1992 in California, the three vocalists debut album, Down 4 Whateva, striked No. 10 on the Heatseakers chart and No. 34 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The trio simply had nothing new or good to offer R&B music in the early-'90s, an era of music dominated by the likes of Jodeci, TLC, En Vogue, SWV, Boyz II Men, and Tony Toni Tone. Knowing that the trio's vocal talents weren't as good as En Vogue or beats weren't as chart intended as TLC's Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip, Nuttin' Nyce's debut does have a lot going for it. Former Boogie Down Productions member D-Nice contributes his producing skills, while Hi-Five is featured on the new jack-styled "What Can I Say to You (To Justify My Love)" and little-known rapper Mr. Lee (specialized in a style known as "hip-house"-the art of rapping to dance-oriented house-music tracks) shows off his Bass, Drum Machine, Programming, Producing, Vocal Arrangement, Drum Programming, and Mixing skills. The title track, which appears on the soundtrack to A Low Down Dirty Shame, is the albums most memorable tune, but other released singles like "In My Nature" "Froggy Style" "Proof Is in the Pudding" "Nasty Girl" and "What Can I Say to You (To Justify My Love)" prove to be just as pleasant as the title track and follow the same formula, tight samples, new jack hooks, and sex oriented lyrics. Though, Nuttin' Nyce failed to generate a lot of hype, Down 4 Whateva remains a new jack favorite to die hard fans, and, unfortunately, the trio would never get the chance to record a follow-up album.

I remembered buying Nuttin' Nyce's album. I liked the ultra funky Down 4 Whatever, but despite it being a hit in '93, I didn't hear it until the fall of 1994. They had a five minute version that they played on the radio that's not on the album. The album version is shorter. But I thought that the song had a live band on it instead of studio gloss, because it was so funky! The rest of the album is good too, but I felt that the group was overshadowed by TLC, whose own album sold right out of the box several months before that. All these other R&B girl trios and quartets were popping out in the '90s, but they couldn't outsell TLC or En Vogue. Nuttin' Nice was good, had their own sexy image and style and made a unique blend of R&B and hip-hop sounds on this album.

Back in early '93, I remembered seeing their video of "In My Nature" and I instantly fell in love with these girls, especially Eboni Foster. I went out and bought the cassette single of that song, that song here in the crappy "Lou" did not get any airplay like the rest of their songs. I also loved their voices on Spice 1's "Trigga Happy". This CD is a one of the better under the radar CD's ever. These girls did not have the best of voices or the best sound but there style fit their music, in which you don't find these days. I just wished they would have gotten some respect but artist from the west coast to me have not gotten any respect, except for Snoop & Dre to this day. A freakin' shame but if you are out there Nuttin' Nyce please come back and shout up these artist today please.

This album was fiyah!!!

I loved "In My Nature" and the collabo with High Five "What Can I Say To You" R.I.P. Tony Thompson. This album was the sound of the times NEW JACK. It's unfortunate that the group never gained the notoriety that they deserved.

If you live in Cali or ever visited Roscoe's you will get fuzzy inside when you here the song dedicated to this staple in the LA diet.

I got a kick out of the subject matter of their songs. These ladies were not afraid to explore in the sexual genre.

[...]

Okay, I've had this album for a few years and now I can tell you about it. Some songs are really great, some songs I would like to forget. The best track on the album is definitely "U ain't gotta lie to kick it". It's got a great sound that you can dance to. Other up tempo songs that should be worth your time are "Down 4 whateva, Froggy Style, In my nature". Their best ballads are "Don't make me wanna do U and En tu deep". The collaboration with Hi-Five surely was a good thing, although the song takes some "gettin' used to". As for the overload of interludes, I skipped them. You will get nothing out of track 16, 17 and 18, but the rest of the album was a real treat to me. I wonder why there never was a second one.

these girls are hypersexual a big turn on for me since I like menage a trois but my ex girlfriend had this tape back in the day and froggy style was her favorite was'nt for those good bedroom memories I'd pass this on by.

The lead track in Nuttin' Nyce's "Down 4 Whateva" was in the UK charts for months and played in many shop stores. Many of the tracks of this CD are raunchy with lines such as "reach in my backpack and pick you out a condom" (Down 4 Whateva), and there are much more graphic examples in 'Froggy Style'.

However, behind the sex (which seems to be the subject of most tracks) there is a high standard of musicality. I particularly liked the close musical harmonies of 'Gotta Get Mine', the careful scoring of 'Down 4 Whateva' and many other tracks, and the convincing description of an awkward emotional situation in 'En Tu Deep'. There are also touches of humour in 'In My Nature', where the singer declares that she doesn't want any brain in her men, just 'sugar on a candy chain' with 'seven inches or more...then again, make it eight'.

I didn't care much for the trite moral at the end of the album, or the contrived interludes. But with many excellent tracks, and a welcome absence of 'gansta' or drug-related themes, this CD has much to please.