Joe Public

the take

There's plenty of new jack swing I've yet to discover as of yet. There's a playlist on Spotify that hass all the "essential" tracks from the era, one of them being Joe Public's "Live and Learn", which perfectly fits the mold. Enough to catch my interest in the group, I decided to give Joe Public's self-titled debut a listen. I'm biased, so I'm a fan of the overall sound of the album anyway. It should be pointed out that while the production on here is passable, it does come off as a bit generic at times, especially the uptempo tracks. "Do You Everynite" is one of those exceptions, but "I Gotta Thang" and "This One's for You" fits the generic mold. As for the four members themselves, they prided themselves in attempting to bridge the gap between rap and R&B via their rap verses. R&B singers around this time weren't really known for rapping, but did so to appeal to the urban crowd. In Joe Public's case, the rapping performances are decent but forgettable. The group naturally works better as singers, especially on ballads like "When I Look in Your Eyes" and "I Miss You". A part of me feels like this album isn't an essential new jack swing release, but it does highlight the importance of Joe Public's biggest hit, "Live and Learn".