I remember back when I was like 12 and I was hanging with my friend Jay, whom I hadn't seen in awhile, and I was telling him all about my obsession with Boyz II Men and how they were the greatest group ever. He then told me that was just ridiculous because of this group I had never heard of called Jodeci was way way better. I didn't believe him at the time, but when I got home to South Carolina after my trip I investigated this group called Jodeci and was just blown away with how amazing they were. Following that introduction I then listened to Jodeci nonstop for about 3-4 years.
I think what really got me about Jodeci was the emotional power and grittiness of their vocals and also their general "bad boy" image portrayed in their lyrics. Man.. I was really obsessed... and I think my obsession with them opened up many musical doors that I continue to explore. For instance, I began my love affair with Stevie Wonder through Jodeci's cover of "lately." I also see that my love of Led Zeppelin came from enjoying their grittiness.
With this record specifically, I've found myself thinking of Jodeci in my songs like Can't Stop and Somewhere Around. While you can't draw a direct line to their influence on my tunes, I definitely recognize their imprint and am thankful for my friend's suggestion to check them out.
They aren't for everyone, but if you dig them, you might just become obsessed like I did.
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