Happy 30th Anniversary to En Vogue’s debut album Born To Sing, originally released April 3, 1990.
1990 was a massive year for music. So many groups and artists released standout debuts or continued their already brilliant careers with albums that would only benefit their musical canons. A new powerhouse quartet comprised of Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones and Dawn Robinson, En Vogue also chose 1990 as their introduction into the musical landscape by releasing their debut album Born To Sing.
I remember back in early 1997 when En Vogue announced that Dawn Robinson had suddenly quit the band. I was shocked and somewhat heartbroken, as like many fans around the world, En Vogue was a quartet and just didn’t seem right as a trio. Robinson was integral to the magic that En Vogue had seemingly and so effortlessly created for nearly a decade. Little did I know at the time, but En Vogue was originally intended to be a trio.
R&B production and songwriting powerhouse duo Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy wanted to replicate the formula of the super successful girl groups of the mid-twentieth century like The Supremes and Martha & The Vandellas. A modern day vessel that was only ever intended to be a trio, but by luck and way of a last-minute audition from Terry Ellis, meant that the original concept of a trio would now be shelved and a more novel approach by way of a quartet was formed. After a few failed attempts at names, finally, the name “En Vogue” was given the green light.
Audio overload is how I would describe early 1990. That wasn’t such a bad thing though. My 14-year-old ears could handle everything that was being dished out, and with En Vogue’s debut single “Hold On” hitting the airwaves in February of that year, the start of the new decade proved strong. From the A cappella intro cover of “Who’s Lovin’ You” by The Miracles, “Hold On” captivated all who listened, as Herron and Ellis took the lead vocals with Robinson and Jones holding down the fort with an introduction to harmonizing that showcased the vocal talents of all four women.
The standard had been set. The album’s second single “Lies” was released in June of 1990 and whilst it did crack the Billboard top 100 at number 38, it soared straight to the number one position on the Billboard R&B singles chart and rightly so. Robinson and Herron assumed the lead on this song (with Debbie T providing the rap), putting the spotlight on Robinson’s incredible vocals coupled with the group’s brilliant interplay and that fresh new Jill swing sound of the ‘90s.
Continuing their number one streak on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, the album’s third single “You Don’t Have To Worry” claimed the number one spot as well, with Herron commanding the lead entirely. With its funky groove and continued demonstration of their vocal symbiosis, “You Don’t Have To Worry” only further cemented the group’s musical ability and undeniable appeal.
The fourth and final single “Don’t Go,” a sensual ballad pleading for a lover to stay, gave Ellis the spotlight and whilst it failed to chart on the Billboard top 100, it did claim the number 3 spot on the Billboard R&B singles chart.
Born To Sing has an undeniably commercial feel to it. Where it differs from so many other albums of its era is in the fact that all four members can sing and were given agency at some point to take the lead on at least one or more tracks. Beyond the album’s successful four singles, other tracks like the funky “Time Goes On,” the superb balladry of “Just Can’t Stay Away” or the sexuality that lies within “Waitin’ On You” showcase the album’s undeniable depth. Yes, En Vogue was conceived and assembled by the masterminds Foster and McElroy, but the four women managed to garner writing credits on six of the album’s twelve songs, reinforcing that this was so much more than a manufactured girl group. The women had creative input and it clearly shows.
En Vogue were indeed born to sing, this much is clear. But they also weren’t afraid to experiment a little on this album, as evidenced by the 55-second version of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” which was given a hip-hop makeover and is more of a fun addition to the album rather than a serious cover. While there are a few moments on Born To Sing that lean more toward the ordinary rather than the exceptional, as with any debut outing, finding one’s footing is to be expected and relatively speaking, this debut album is superb.
Born To Sing paved the way for the immense success the foursome would go on to achieve just two short years later with their follow-up LP Funky Divas (1992) and offered the world a firsthand glimpse of what was to come.
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