Jagged Edge Jagged Little Thrill

Jagged Little Thrill is Atlanta-based Jagged Edge's third album-and it might just be the hit slinging R&B group's best so far. That's quite an achievement considering that their first two outings went gold and platinum respectively, heavily impacted both the R&B and pop charts and spawned hits like "Gotta Be," "He Can't Love U," "Let's Get Married" and "Promise." But there's maturity and diversity in this latest album that suggests the foursome-twins Brandon "Case Dinero" Casey and Brian "Brasco" Casey, Kyle Norman (aka "Quick") and Richard Wingo (aka Wingo Dollar)-have crested a new peak. Oh, and by the way, Jagged Little Thrill also received platinum certification about five weeks after its release!

The songwriting of the Casey twins-who, as well as collaborating musically, wrote all the lyrics on the album-has evolved to another plane. You can hear it in the enveloping soulful arrangements of "Best Man" and you can feel it when they sing couplets like "Tell me have you ever been in the situation/Where the best thing you can do was the hardest thing you've ever done" in the choir-of-angels ballad "Goodbye." And they can kick it too. Just listen to the put-your-hands-up smash hit single "Where The Party At." And then, when you least expect it, they'll take you in a completely different direction: case in point, the funky rhythm fest "Driving Me To Drink." Throw in the production skills of studio guru Jermaine Dupri, guest appearances by Nelly ("Where The Party At") and Ludacris (on the edgy-jumpy "Cut Somethin'"), and the mix is just right.

The members of Jagged Edge honed their voices as youngsters singing in church. It's not surprising, then, that there is a strong gospel influence on this CD ("Without You," "Head of Household," "Remedy"). But they also go against that grain occasionally. Like with the gritty "Driving Me To Drink": "When the remy's in the system, it ain't no tellin'/What the other person sayin', there's too much yellin'/Even though I know, that ain't what I need/I can't take the naggin' and the b***hin' and the screamin'." And to top it all off, there's the sublime "Girl It's Over"-a syrup-free heartache masterpiece.

Jagged Edge, who are often compared to Boyz II Men, arguably have more strings to their bow than their contemporary-R&B predecessors. They have the ballads down pat, those killer harmonies, and the easy dance grooves happening. Their soulful R&B-pop mix has a breadth and depth that lesser R&B harmony outfits lack. All in all, Jagged Little Thrill is about as smooth as it can be.

By Adrian Zupp