You better believe we remember Jodeci!

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Thomas Inskeep: There are few acts from the ’90s I hold as dear as Jodeci. Across three albums they set the fucking bar for male R&B groups across the decade. And at the :30 mark on “Every Moment,” those classic harmonies hit hard, and suddenly it’s ’93 all over again and I’m watching the world premiere of the “Cry For You” video on MTV Jams. K-Ci Hailey is singing his ass off, and in fact it sounds like none of the four have lost a lick. The production on “Every Moment” is plush as ever, and the song stands up to at least The Show, the After-Party, the Hotel, if not Forever My Lady. But I hadn’t dared think that Jodeci could come back this classic in 2015, so I’m overjoyed. 
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Micha Cavaseno: DEVANTE MOTHERFUCKING SWING, YOU SLY DOG. I didn’t think much of the Jodeci revival, because I wasn’t sure K-Ci and GodNo would leave their egos at the door, and rumors of Devante’s mental state were troublesome not too many years ago. But maybe they’ve sensed that the world was ready to hear them again, as the nostalgia clock has been kind to their albums, especially Side A of “Diary Of A Mad Band”. And not for nothing, they slip into the formula so easily. K-Ci’s voice is weathered, but he summons up the old grit easily. Devante’s production is still in the past, but not too dated! Jojo is still ass, but hey, it wouldn’t be Jodeci otherwise! Its some of the purest schmaltz, but so smooth and luxurious, you can’t but laugh with the old men, not at ’em.
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Crystal Leww: Last year was a great one for R&B, with plenty of innovation as well as updated classic sounds. Toni Braxton and Babyface topped my year-end list because despite their return to a classic R&B sound, the stars of the show had a sense of direction about the project and tone of urgency. Jodeci are back, but “Every Moment” sounds old without sounding classic. This is a bunch of old dudes in the club using their former fame to try to pick up 22 year-olds. No thanks.
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Jonathan Bradley: It’s like they never left: this is so classicist it might have been prepared fresh for 1995. It sounds singular now as a result, but back then it would have been, say, single number four from the album, the one that scrapes into the Top 40 for a couple of weeks and fills the empty radio playlist slot sitting between Toni Braxton and Keith Sweat. There’s one nice moment when they all harmonise, a cappella, “girl, you can get it any time you want it” — and it’s winning, sure, but it’s a highlight when it should be a climax.
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Alfred Soto: I know Jodeci is back because, to remind everyone that every moment is sweet to them, they stre-e-e-e-e-e-e-t-t-t-c-h syllables until they snap like Juicy Fruit. Twenty-two years after their “Lately” cover they still want me to appreciate their work. The last mass choraled minute is a master class in flopping and flailing that wants to be called testifying.
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Brad Shoup: This was the smartest move they could make. They kept the likes of “Stress Reliever” on the album for now, instead batting a song of devotion leadoff. DeVante plays to original and diminished strengths. He’s not piecing everyone’s vocals into a grand puzzle, but he alternates judicious solo spots with that tender, reserved chorus. But Jodeci could never be satisfied with four voices around a piano, so some trippy synths provide the kind of erotic edge that these audibly older pipes can’t. The mere fact that we’ve got this after 20 years is a success in itself, but it’s also notable for plugging a current gap in charting R&B groups. When that fifth album doesn’t arrive, then what?
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