Enter the Dru - Dru Hill (CD 1998)

The Main Idea:
Sisqo, Jazz, Woody & Nokio first caused a stir in the music scene with the release of their double-platinum 1995 debut, Dru Hill, and their hit singles Steps April Showers In My Bed Tell Me Never Make A Promise. The remix to In My Bed proved to be their biggest hit as it was the most successful R&B single of 1996. Then the boys went back to the studio and released this disc in 1998 and I recently got a copy of it and I like spots of it but not the whole thing. There s nothing that really sticks out to me or makes me want to play the CD over and over again. There are a few good songs but a few good songs and a lot of bad ones don t equal a good CD. Below is my track-by-track epinion:

1. Enter The Dru (Interlude) - This is an interesting intro. It starts off with a guy in a helicopter telling someone in a flight tower that he has to get a closer look at this huge thing. He keeps talking about how amazing it is and the guy in the tower is telling him to stay away until backup can come. He then gets too close and tells the guy that he s going to have to enter the dru and the other guy is telling him no and I don t blame him. I wouldn t want to enter this thing either. The production is just dramatic piano and strings and Sisqo vocalizing in the background. Weird but not necessarily interesting. 3/10.

2. Real Freak - The 1st song on the album is a pretty good, co-written and produced by Sisqo. It has a good beat with the drumpad and synthesizer and the Spanish guitar running throughout with the strings on the hook. I don t care for the girl moaning all throughout because that just sounds stupid. Sisqo sings about asking this girl if she s a real freak and if so, for her to prove it. The concept is a bit tired but the lyrics seem strangely familiar:

I know you, what s your name, play your game, may I play
Your eyes unique, your breasts, your feet, oh please, tell me baby

Oh yeah, aren t the last lines the same lyrics from Sisqo s Thong Song ? Thought so. Sisqo, be more original. When you go solo and have to borrow from your group s material, it undercuts your own talent. It s still a pretty good song and a nice way to start off the CD. 9/10.

3. How Deep Is Your Love - This is the album s lead single that proved to be another big hit for Dru Hill since it was featured on the Rush Hour soundtrack as well. It was produced by Dutch and Warryn Campbell and the beat is pretty good with the slight Oriental undertones and it was a pretty tight beat when it first came out. Sisqo basically asks this girl how deep is her love for him and if she could see herself with him. The song is cool but the only qualm I have is that Redman isn t on this version and they replaced him with a bridge. The Redman version is better but this song is still tight. 10/10.

4. This Is How We Do feat. Method Man - Interesting, they cut Redman but kept Method Man. Dutch produced this one as well and he does a nice job with the piano and synthesizers making it a beat you can easily groove to. The song isn t deep conceptually, it s about telling this girl that if she wants to dance, show what she can do because Dru Hill will show her how they do. Method is a nice addition to this song as he is a talented lyricist so it makes the song that much better but it s only good, not great. 8/10.

5. Holding You - The 1st ballad of the album and I what I do like about Dru Hill is how they switch up lead singers so all the guys get a chance to show off their skills. Jazz takes the vocal controls for this one as he sings about how he suspects that his girl is cheating on him:

I can't remember why we fell apart or even how the arguments all start
I got this crazy thought running through my head
You keep insisting on convincing me that nothing's changed
And keep on telling me I'm trippin but it's not a game
Cause something's different when I'm in it, it don't feel the same
I keep on picturing another n!gga been holding you
I feel somebody's been touching you, in fact, I know somebody's been kissin' you
Do you wanna tell me who's been loving you , loving you

Dutch produced it and the production is pretty simple and nice with the Spanish guitars and percussion. The background vocals aren t really there either so it sounds like a solo Jazz song and it s not bad. 7/10.

6. I m Wondering - Dutch produced this one too and he did a nice job with the twangy guitar at the beginning and the raindrop effect but the song doesn t live up to the great production. Sisqo sounds like a horny teenager as he tells this girl that he s wondering if she knows what he s going to do to her in the bedroom. The lyrics are pretty dumb:

Now that we're here alone, had to unplug the phone
Just in case she calls, she'll think I'm not home
I had something else to do but now I'm here with you, what I had to do has turned into you
She thinks that I'm faithful cuz her ride is paid for and I bought a crib for her and shorty
Forbidden fruit is tasty but you gotta lace me, I'm shady but you ain't worth my baby
I'm just wondering if you really know what's goin on
Do you really have a clue bout what I'm gonna do to you

And the dialogue in the middle just makes the song sound even stupider. The production works but the song doesn t. 5/10.

7. You Are Everything - The album continues downhill with this ballad. I like the production a lot with the acoustic guitar and the popping at the beginning making it sound like an old record. The production does continue with a nice pace but the song itself is stupid. Sisqo sings verse 1 and Jazz sings verse 2. They sing about asking for forgiveness from their girl because she is their everything. The remix to this song is much, much, much better than the original as the original sounds like filler to me. 3/10.

8. I ll Be The One - Daryl Simmons wrote and produced this boring ballad. The production isn t anything we haven t heard before and the song itself is also a popular topic. It s about telling your girl that you ll be the everything she needs in her life. I ve heard this song in so many different ways a million times before and Dru Hill does nothing to make their version stand out. 2/10.

9. Nowhere Without You (Interlude) - This interlude is either dedicated to God or Dru Hill s fans. They sing about how they d be nowhere without them/him their to support them. OK but unnecessary. 1/10.

10. One Good Reason - Another ballad but this time it s a good one. The production is good and not so ordinary so it s a nice touch. Sisqo sings to his girl about how he wants one good reason as to why he should stay with her. He s tired of fussing and fighting. The whole song is a nice ballad and one of the CD s better cuts. If more of the ballads would ve followed this pattern, the CD would ve been much better. 9/10.

11. Angel (Interlude) - An interlude featuring Woody only. Woody introduces himself. He thanks everyone for listening to the CD and dedicating this song to everyone who s ever been in a relationship that failed. He also dedicates it to all the people asking when he s gonna get a chance to sing on one of Dru s song when he sung on over the songs on the CD including some of the singles. A nice interlude but a little too long. 2/10.

12. Angel - This ballad starts off good with the dramatic strings and continues with some good production courtesy of Warryn Campbell. Woody sings the ballad all by himself and he has a nice voice but it s not real strong and the whole string of ballads does get tiring right here. Woody tells this girl that she s his angel and how they should reconcile and she should return to him. An OK track but I don t listen to it. 5/10.

13. What Do I Do With The Love - Diane Warren penned this ballad about moving on after a breakup. Sisqo asks what to do with the love left behind from the relationship. The lyrics are great which is what you d expect from Ms. Warren:

I can go out every night now, stay out til the dawn
Do whatever I want to anytime I want and I can make believe we never met
I can clear out all the closets, leave your things outside the door
But I just can't seem to not love you anymore so tell me now, tell me now, what do I do
What do I do with the love, what do I do with the memories of
What do I do with the nights without you by my side
They used to be yours and mine, without you, what do I do with the love

The production is also great because it gives the song a real dramatic effect which fits perfectly. Another one of the CD s better ballads. 9/10.

14. Beauty - The album s 3rd single although a video was never shot for it. It is one of the CD s better tracks and best ballads. Nokio co-wrote and produced this one and he did a nice job with the simple and romantic production with the fingersnaps and drumpad. The song is about a woman that has stolen Sisqo s heart and how beauty is her name. The whole song is really good and a video would ve been nice for this video. An excellent choice for a single. 9/10.

15. These Are The Times - The album s 2nd single written and produced by Babyface. The production is definitely Babyface material when it comes to ballads, not much to it. The lyrics are also Babyface as they are lovey-dovey and a little bit corny:

Been thinking bout you all the time, morning, noon and supper time
Tear you up in little pieces, swallow you like Reese s Pieces, c mon girl, you know I need it

How does a supposedly beautiful and romantic ballad include Reese s Pieces and it fit? I didn t really care for this track when it came out and I don t care for it now. It s boring to me. 4/10.

16. The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind) - Dru Hill decides to cover this song from the 1970 s. The production picks up slightly here as it s more mid-tempo than balladry. Sisqo s voice sounds really good here but the background vocals could ve been done better to suit the song more. Of course, the song is about Sisqo telling this girl that the love they had stays on his mind. A decent cover but I haven t heard the original. 8/10.

17. What Are You Gonna Do - Jazz & Nokio get a chance to fly solo on this track and they sound good on this closing ballad. The production could ve been better as it s a bit too slow and boring. The song is about wondering what will happen when their friends and families find out that Nokio and this girl are dating. The concept is good but the overall song falls flat and this is a bad way to close the CD. 4/10.

Final Thoughts:
I don t know what the initial response to this CD was when it first came out but this CD is a poor sophomore effort from Dru and I m saying this without ever hearing their 1st or 3rd CD. All 4 guys can sing and they get a chance to show this throughout the CD. There are some great songs with great lyrics and great production but you have to sift through the bad tracks to get to them. This is another sad case of 3 good singles backed up by a few more and a butt-load of filler. And they don t have nearly enough up-tempo tracks on here which makes the CD fall into repetitive territory. And the sad thing is that this CD sold 3 million copies. This is one CD that is easily forgettable and deserves to fall into obscurity. I don t recommend buying this CD. And if you were to get it burned, only get the good songs and save the rest of the space for songs that you d actually like. I like a lot of the songs but the whole effort doesn t deserve 3 stars. It doesn t even deserve to be played (that often).