The Funky Rankdown of Soul: En Vogue (Complete!)

[bat1990]

#21: I'll Cry Later


Stats
Points: 131
Average: 11.909
Std Dev: 8.443

Lead Vocals
Cindy, Terry, Maxine

Charts
N/A

History & Tidbits
"I'll Cry Later" is the only single from En Vogue's aborted album with Rufftown Entertainment. The song was sent to Urban AC radio in September 2011 only to be pulled shortly thereafter with no explanation.

Much litigation followed, first with Maxine leaving, performing with and then without Dawn, and then Cindy and Terry suing for use of the name. Once all that was finished in 2014, Rufftown then sued Cindy and Terry for signing with Pyramid Records (along with Rhona). The settlement released En Vogue from their contract with Rufftown and made Rufftown release an EP to digital outlets with three completed songs from their sessions with En Vogue. Finally, the little song that could was allowed to be heard in HQ.

Host Opinion
:'( :'( :'(
One of my all-time favorites could not quite scrape the Top 15 or even Top 20.

I can't get enough of this song from the moment I first heard a LQ radio snippet that I believe was linked to on this board. I find it a return to form to the Funky Divas attitude and production that catapulted them to super stardom for a bit. When I want to feel powerful and defiant, I blast this through my headphones and revel in the belting and airtight harmonies. Apparently my feelings are in the minority though, as most people ranked this song fairly low (Boo @ aerodynamite).

Participant Rankings
bat1990 - 2
castleoblivion26 - 7
@quirkyfarang - 13
@antigonerising - 20
Ky - 21
Zinc. - 21
divasummer - 22
SHOOTER - 23
Hashtag Pow - 24
Ginger Spice - 27
aerodynamite - 30

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

Album Cut #4: Damn I Wanna Be Your Lover


Stats
Points: 5

Lead Vocals
Terry

History & Tidbits
An album cut from EV3 not produced by Foster & McElroy. It's a sweeping, guitar-driven mid-tempo about strongly desiring to be with a person (if the title wasn't obvious). It is unclear if Dawn was supposed to split lead with Terry on this track, as Terry's ad libs mimic Dawn's style from "Don't Let Go (Love)."

Host Opinion
One of the highlights of the spotty EV3. Terry gives a powerful, desire-filled vocal. The guitars and sexual energy really drive my enjoyment of the song.

Participant Rankings
Ky - 1

bat1990
SHOOTER
Zinc.
@quirkyfarang
aerodynamite
@antigonerising
Ginger Spice
castleoblivion26
Hashtag Pow
divasummer

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

Summary and Coming Attractions

- Only two participants have lost Top 5's (bat1990, aerodynamite) though 5 people have lost their #7's
- 3 people are tied for having the most of their bottom 10 in the bottom 10: Hashtag Pow, Zinc., and Ky
Each of these three has only 2 songs left in the lower third
- Only one person has a #30 left

- The next batch of 5 songs clears out a bunch of older En Vogue tracks, including the 3rd Album Cut
- No one will lose a #1, but you better hold on to your Top 5's!

Remaining songs:

SPOILER: Click to show

Hold On
Lies
You Don't Have To Worry
Don't Go
Strange
My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)
Giving Him Something He Can Feel
Free Your Mind
Give It Up, Turn It Loose
Love Don't Love You
Runaway Love
What Is Love
Whatta Man
Don't Let Go (Love)
Whatever
Too Gone, Too Long
Let It Flow
Riddle
Losin' My Mind
Ooh Boy

I'm not surprised with what's left, but I'm still sad about "I'll Cry Later" and "Glamorous."

[Ky]

Sad to see Love U Crazay go. I have a soft spot but agree that I Love You More is the better song. I knew about the sample clearance issue, but didn't realize that Love U Crazay was a last minute replacement! Very interesting.

I feel similarly about Yesterday. I LOVED it when the album was out, but could leave it now.

Re: Damn I Wanna Be Your Lover, it kinda surprised me when I thought about my top album tracks and picked that one. I love Terry and she has an amazing voice, but she's easily my least favorite of the four vocally (even though she's probably got the most powerful voice of the group).

[Deleted]

Quickie thoughts on what has been revealed so far:

I'm Good - Cute concept, but trite lyrics and a rinky-dink melody put me off this. Self-empowerment and 'woke' anthems are so hard to write well, and unfortunately I'm Good is one of the many songs that isn't up to the task IMO.

So What the Fuss - see above. I really wanted to like this more because it's a trifecta of icons but these lyrics are a MESS. Sorry, Stevie :( Then add En Vogue's light presence on the track, and there just wasn't much to lift this song up in my rankdown.

Glamorous - something about this song just didn't come all the way together for me. I can't put my finger on it, but it didn't feel polished or like all the elements fully meshed with each other.

Deja Vu - This isn't bad at all. It's not a 'wow' track - the two-note piano bit that backs the first half of the song is so basic that it cheapens the whole effect of the song even when the bridge eventually brings it up a few notches - but it's enjoyably breezy.

Emotions - lordt, this song was such a mess. I struggle to remember what it sounds like honestly, then when I revisit it I immediately remember why I ranked it dead last. The lyrics are really unappealing (I don't know why but the 'has sparked curiosity' line in particular is like nails on a chalkboard), the ladies sound so disengaged that they might as well be singing a hooked on Phonics jingle, and egads at the horribly cheap-sounding fake horns...that was the icing on the cake. I can't with this song. it's the only one in the rankdown that I felt had absolutely no redeeming qualities to it.

No Fool No More, Love U Crazy, I'll Cry Later - these are not bad songs but they fall in the 'acceptable album track' section of my rankdown where I find myself thinking "nice, but EV already did this theme better on [insert earlier song here]." Also, the rap on LUC was weak.

Yesterday - they technically sound great but the style applied here was all wrong for this cover. Yesterday is a really soft, kind of despondent ballad that isn't meant for the power vocals Cindy is giving or all that extra production (Jesus, whose idea was it to do that?). The complete mismatch between artist and song makes this cover kind of sound like something you'd hear from one of the better participants in a local talent show. I do not use.

[Deleted]

Bish cunt you're giving me flashbacks to my late youth days!

[SHOOTER]

MT was such a great idea in theory but the execution left much to be desired and while I enjoyed LUC for what it was, CCB was the most obvious choice for a single on that album. Still don't know what the label was thinking wasting that one.

And I echo the sentiments of the general consensus behind Yesterday; it's the one minor flaw in FD.

ICL was a good song that could've been great with better production.

Can't wait to see how the top-20 unfolds.

[Ginger Spice]

Glad to see all the post-Soul Flower songs gone. I'm not a fan of their version of Yesterday, either. No Fool, No More and Love You Crazay are alright, but not amazing. Especially the latter, I like everything but the sample. I'm not a huge fan of So What The Fuss, but the production is good. No comment on Glamorous.

I like Damn I Wanna Be Your Lover and No, No, No better than a lot of the singles in the rate.

[bat1990]

#20: You Don't Have To Worry


Stats
Points: 134
Average: 12.182
Std Dev: 7.692

Lead Vocals
Cindy

Charts
US - 57
US R&B - 1
UK - 94

History & Tidbits
This is the third single from their debut album Born To Sing. It was a massive R&B hit and made a small dent in the pop charts too. Foster and McElroy wrote and produced the song.

Host Opinion
I find the song solid but a little boring. It's fun but doesn't really go anywhere melodically. It kind of washes across my brain and then i forget about it.

Participant Rankings
divasummer - 7
castleoblivion26 - 10
Hashtag Pow - 11
@antigonerising - 11
Ginger Spice - 20
aerodynamite - 21
Ky - 22
Zinc. - 23
bat1990 - 27
SHOOTER - 27
@quirkyfarang - 28

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

:o Someone loses a #2 :o

#19: Don't Go


Stats
Points: 143
Average: 13.000
Std Dev: 8.185

Lead Vocals
Terry

Charts
US R&B - 3

History & Tidbits
A drum-heavy ballad where Terry begs a lover not to leave. "Don't Go" was the final single from Born To Sing and continued their streak of R&B Top 10s. They performed the track live on The Arsenio Hall Show for promotion.

Host Opinion
The song is alright as it bounces along, but I don't find it as strong as "Hold On" or the material from their next two albums. Terry is thankfully on pitch throughout and gives an emotive performance.

Participant Rankings
Zinc. - 2
divasummer - 11
SHOOTER - 13
@antigonerising - 13
Hashtag Pow - 13
Ky - 20
Ginger Spice - 22
bat1990 - 23
castleoblivion26 - 26
@quirkyfarang - 27
aerodynamite - 28

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

#18: Strange


Stats
Points: 143
Average: 13.000
Std Dev: 7.772

Lead Vocals
Cindy (spoken parts), Maxine, Dawn

Charts
US Dance - 44

History & Tidbits
"Strange" both opens Born To Sing and anchors the EP Remix To Sing, where it charted on the Club Play charts. It is a song about a cheating lover, much like their later flop single "Riddle." It includes Cindy speaking in a British accent and an outro with Cindy and Terry gossiping.

Host Opinion
I wish I would've ranked this higher - I'm not sure how/why it ended up at #28 for me. It's a fun romp that forecasts Funky Divas. It would've been cool if they would've done a video for Party/Strange.

Participant Rankings
castleoblivion26 - 6
Zinc. - 10
aerodynamite - 11
Hashtag Pow - 12
Ky - 15
SHOOTER - 16
divasummer - 24
@antigonerising - 25
Ginger Spice - 25
@quirkyfarang - 26
bat1990 - 28

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

#17: What Is Love


Stats
Points: 147
Average: 13.364
Std Dev: 7.865

Lead Vocals
Cindy, Maxine, Terry (spoken parts)

Charts
US Dance - 6

History & Tidbits
Originally intended as a new track for Remix to Sing, "What Is Love" ended up the closing track on Funky Divas and a club single promoting the Runaway Love EP. It is a house number driven by a dance beat and synthesized keyboard and horns. In the song, the girls lament the difficulty of understanding the nuanced feelings relating to love as Terry reads definitions from the dictionary.

Host Opinion
This was a standout for me when I first acquired Funky Divas and I enjoy it today, despite the dated early 90s sound. I'm glad it did well on the Dance charts and surprised at some of the low rankings.

Participant Rankings
castleoblivion26 - 4
aerodynamite - 8
bat1990 - 12
Ginger Spice - 13
SHOOTER - 15
Hashtag Pow - 20
divasummer - 21
@antigonerising - 23
Zinc. - 24
Ky - 24
@quirkyfarang - 30

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

#16: Let It Flow


Stats
Points: 164
Average: 14.909
Std Dev: 6.760

Lead Vocals
Terry, Cindy, Maxine, Dawn

Charts
N/A

History & Tidbits
This was the intended fourth single from EV3, but was cancelled after the lackluster performance of the "Whatever" and "Too Gone, Too Long." Interestingly, promo singles were pressed and the group lip-synced to the song on as promotion before it was pulled.

Juicy tidbit: Dawn's lead vocals were left on this track as well as "Sitting By Heaven's Door," "Love Makes You Do Thangs," and "What a Difference a Day Makes" on EV3. Her background vocals are also on "Eyes of a Child." So EV3 is a mis-nomer since they didn't completely bury her voice.

Host Opinion
This is a fun mid-tempo. I'm surprised they cancelled it because it's not like either EV3 single performed so terribly that the album wasn't selling. It is a bit long, but it flows so well I hardly notice.

Participant Rankings
@quirkyfarang - 6
Ginger Spice - 10
SHOOTER - 11
Zinc. - 12
Hashtag Pow - 14
bat1990 - 16
aerodynamite - 16
Ky - 17
@antigonerising - 21
divasummer - 25
castleoblivion26 - 29

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

Album Cut #3: This Is Your Life


Stats
Points: 6

Lead Vocals
Terry

History & Tidbits
The Funky Divas opener! A bold declaration to the world announcing their return and imploring people to follow their own dreams and instincts.

Host Opinion
Surprised this was never in contention for a single! This gets stuck in my head all the time and is quite fun.

Participant Rankings
SHOOTER - 2
bat1990 - 4
Ky

Zinc.
@quirkyfarang
aerodynamite
@antigonerising
Ginger Spice
castleoblivion26
Hashtag Pow
divasummer

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[Deleted]

I'm losing my mid-rank songs and a couple of bottom ten holdouts here. The highest ranked song I've lost so far - You Don't Have to Worry - almost made my top 10, but I just couldn't get past the fact that it and Lies are literally the same song. It's not the first or last time an artist has cut a new hit from old cloth by any means...but geez, EV did it in the same album cycle and there wasn't even a minor attempt to make one song somewhat different from the other, aside from subject matter. It drives me nuts!

[bat1990]

Nobody's discussing my juicy tidbits :(

[Deleted]

"Let it flow" is a great song, glad it did reasonably okay. Was one of the better 'album tracks' on EV3.
Won't be losing any sleep about the loss of the other songs. The dance track was dreadful! Others were missing a little something, the dance track was missing a bloody lot!

[Ky]

Jun 26, 2017 15:22:07 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

Nobody's discussing my juicy tidbits :(

I'm loving the tidbits! My thoughts on this set... was wondering how far the Born To Sing singles were gonna last and not surprised to see a lot of them go right about now.

You Don't Have To Worry - There are times I listen to this and think it maybe should've been the second single from the album, but I totally agree with you that it doesn't really go anywhere. It's missing a good pre-chorus.

Strange - This one was new to me and I really really love the house remix. I could see this becoming one of my favorites.

What Is Love - Just was never one of my favorites. I don't dislike it, but it feels like a bonus cut to me.

Don't Go - I was gonna guess this one for the highest standard deviation. I like it, but not a go to for me. The video is very pretty.

This Is Your Life - Totally forgot about this one when I was ranking my album cuts! Could've been a great single.

[bat1990]

#15: Love Don't Love You


Stats
Points: 171
Average: 15.545
Std Dev: 5.145

Lead Vocals
Terry, Cindy

Charts
US - 36
US R&B - 31
UK - 64

History & Tidbits
The final single from Funky Divas with one of the lower standard deviations. It is an upbeat track in a minor key about how "Love" is an uncaring entity and relationships taking work. I imagine this would not have been released if the earlier singles hadn't done so well, so I'm glad it happened.

Host Opinion
One of my favorite of the Funky Divas singles! I wish they had filmed a video for this and I also wish it had followed "Free Your Mind" instead of "Give It Up, Turn It Loose" (eww). Cindy and Terry give very emotive performances that convey the chaos and desperation of the song. I have a soft spot for well-done songs that aren't happy, especially when they aren't ballads and this fits the bill nicely.

Participant Rankings
Ky - 9
@antigonerising - 10
bat1990 - 11
@quirkyfarang - 11
divasummer - 12
Zinc. - 16
SHOOTER - 17
aerodynamite - 19
Hashtag Pow - 19
Ginger Spice - 23
castleoblivion26 - 23

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

#14: Runaway Love
En Vogue f/ F-Mob


Stats
Points: 175
Average: 15.909
Std Dev: 7.063

Lead Vocals
Cindy, Terry, Dawn

Charts
US - 51
US Airplay - 19
US R&B - 15
Europe - 83
UK - 36
Netherlands - 46
Australia - 62

History & Tidbits
An extra song created in the midst of the heights of Funky Divas. EastWest/En Vogue decided to capitalize on their success and put the song out right away with their Salt-N-Pepa collaboration "Whatta Man" on an EP with remixes of FD songs, much like Remix to Sing. Initially, the song did well at radio, but the commercial single took too long to be released, so the Hot 100 peak does not reflect the actual popularity of the song. The Runaway Love EP peaked at #49 on The Billboard 200 and #16 on R&B Albums.

Host Opinion
Not a favorite of mine. It's a pleasant vocal, but I feel that the song doesn't go anywhere or create a strong emotional atmosphere/response. The only part I like is the "Ba da bop" scat section.

Participant Rankings
Ky - 2
Hashtag Pow - 9
@quirkyfarang - 9
castleoblivion26 - 12
Ginger Spice - 14
Zinc. - 14
divasummer - 17
@antigonerising - 19
aerodynamite - 20
bat1990 - 24
SHOOTER - 26

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

#13: Losin' My Mind


Stats
Points: 180
Average: 16.364
Std Dev: 5.732

Lead Vocals
Rhona

Charts
N/A

History & Tidbits
"Losin' My Mind" served as the lead single from their fifth album Soul Flower as well as an introduction to Rhona Bennett as part of the group. Rhona brought the song with her, along with "Stop" to flesh out the tracklist for this album. The song was serviced to Urban AC (and maybe Urban?) radio in Fall of 2003, but (sadly) made no impact.

Host Opinion
Clearly some of y'all are not fans of Soul Flower, given the low rankings of this and "Ooh Boy". This song falls into the category for me where I visualize something going around in a circle. It spins around itself, sonically simulating the speaker (voiced by Rhona) going out of her head over this confusing relationship. Rhona gives a convincing vocal and the production is full behind her producing an excellent final effect.

Participant Rankings
bat1990 - 6
SHOOTER - 9
@antigonerising - 9
@quirkyfarang - 10
aerodynamite - 12
Ginger Spice - 15
Zinc. - 17
Ky - 19
divasummer - 20
castleoblivion26 - 22
Hashtag Pow - 22

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

#12: Give It Up, Turn It Loose


Stats
Points: 183
Average: 16.636
Std Dev: 7.047

Lead Vocals
Maxine

Charts
US - 15
US R&B - 16
Europe - 84
UK - 22
Ireland - 30
Switzerland - 36
Australia - 96
New Zealand - 34

History & Tidbits
The fourth single from Funky Divas and the last single with a video. It is a mid-tempo about letting go of a bad relationship and female empowerment. In the black and white video, the girls dress up in Old Hollywood glamour.

Host Opinion
I have never liked this song. I find it flat and boring and usually end up skipping it. When I learned of En Vogue's chart history, I was happy it missed the Top 10. The only redeeming features for me are Max's sublime vocals and the glamorous nature of the video.

Participant Rankings
SHOOTER - 4
@antigonerising - 6
Ky - 6
Zinc. - 13
divasummer - 15
Hashtag Pow - 17
@quirkyfarang - 18
castleoblivion26 - 20
Ginger Spice - 21
aerodynamite - 22
bat1990 - 25

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

[bat1990]

#11: Lies


Stats
Points: 183*
Average: 16.636*
Std Dev: 5.482

Lead Vocals
Dawn, Cindy, Maxine, Terry

Charts
US - 38
US R&B - 1
US Dance - 18
UK - 44
Netherlands - 42

History & Tidbits
En Vogue's second ever single, "Lies" did not make quite the same impact as "Hold On" but was still a decent hit. In the context of the album, the song completes the thematic segment started in the "Party" intro and continued through "Strange" about dishonesty and cheating in relationships, especially on the side of the boys. The video is a black and white clip that holds up pretty well to this day, unlike some from the early 90s with dated production values.

Host Opinion
A catchy number and solid follow-up to "Hold On." I enjoy the video visuals (but not the remix used).

Participant Rankings
Hashtag Pow - 7
castleoblivion26 - 9
divasummer - 10
Zinc. - 11
@antigonerising - 12
Ky - 14
aerodynamite - 14
Ginger Spice - 16
bat1990 - 19
SHOOTER - 21
@quirkyfarang - 25

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔

*The second tie of the rankdown! I broke the tie the same way as before - the song with the lower standard deviation won. (It helps that I prefer this to GIU,TIL anyway.)

[bat1990]

NOTICE:The remaining Album Cuts are exactly tied - both received a #1 and #3 ranking each, so I will present them as co-#1's after revealing #6 of the rankdown.

Coming Attractions
- All of their albums are represented in the Top 10!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Remaining Songs}Hold On
My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)
Giving Him Something He Can Feel
Free Your Mind
Whatta Man
Don't Let Go (Love)
Whatever
Too Gone, Too Long
Riddle
Ooh Boy

- The lowest standard deviation still remains! Any guesses?
- Two people lose #1's w/in the next five reveals! Thoughts on these?
- Ginger Spice 's Top 9 are in the Top 10 (bat1990, Zinc., and SHOOTER are tied for 2nd with 8 of their top 10 left)
- aerodynamite has lost the most with half of their Top 10 gone (most in the bottom 10!)
- Three people still have songs in the bottom 5, but not all of the involved songs will be gone with the reveal of 6-10!

Stay tuned...

[aerodynamite]

2
4
5
6
10
13
15
18
25
26

[Leo ✔]

I like Lies. Is one of the three songs Ive heard

[Ginger Spice]

Jun 27, 2017 10:29:53 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

- Ginger Spice 's Top 9 are in the Top 10 (bat1990 , Zinc. , and SHOOTER are tied for 2nd with 8 of their top 10 left)

I'm pleasantly surprised with how well "Riddle" is doing.

[SHOOTER]

I'll take 8/10!! Can't wait to see the top-10!

[bat1990]

And now, presenting your Top 10 En Vogue songs!

[bat1990]

#10: Riddle


Stats
Points: 189
Average: 17.182
Std Dev: 7.574

Lead Vocals
Maxine, Terry, Cindy

Charts
US - 92
US R&B - 95
Europe - 35
UK - 33
Germany - 62
Switzerland - 56
France - 22
Wallonia - 24
Flanders - 15
Netherlands - 28

History & Tidbits
The lead off of the shaky Masterpiece Theater, "Riddle" is an angry mid-tempo about a sneaking, cheating lover (or a string of them) and using the clues to piece together the truth. "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" is interpolated towards the end of the song for added effect. Interestingly, the song was one of their stronger performers in Europe despite the US floppage. Still it was not enough for Elektra to continue promotion for the album. Stargate also did a radio remix for the song, which can be heard here:


Host Opinion
IMHO, the best video in their videography. I'm glad they haven't filmed a video since because this one is epic! (Max with the baseball bat, Terry smashing up the car, Cindy picking a guy up BY HIS HEAD one handed!) I totally don't fantasize about smashing things while looking hot and like a comic book character when angry. While I do enjoy the creeping anger and fierceness, I wish the song had an epic bridge and key change like "Too Gone, Too Long" to give it the extra oomph, but it's still fun none the less. Also Cindy's climactic "found a letter in your pocket from Louise, puh-leez!" is a highlight.

Participant Rankings
Ginger Spice - 4
aerodynamite - 5
bat1990 - 7
Zinc. - 7
@quirkyfrang - 21
Ky - 11
@antigonerising - 14
Hashtag Pow - 18
divasummer - 18
SHOOTER - 20
castleoblivion26 - 27

Viewers
@pma2015
Hurricane Lee
Leo ✔