ALBUM REVIEW: Dru Hill – InDRUpendence Day

Artist: Dru Hill
Album: InDRUpendence Day
Release Date: 7.27.10

It’s been eight years since Dru Hill has released any new music, a hiatus that would’ve surely wiped out any other almost-forgotten 90’s R&B group, but Dru Hill makes an effort to stay relevant with their fourth album. Away from the spotlight, the group underwent a few roster changes and is now back down to a quartet from the 5-member lineup of 2002’s Dru World Order introducing a new 4^th member, Tao. With InDRUpendence Day, the group makes a fair attempt at relevance, but the cohesiveness that Dru Hill once possessed as a group is definitely missing from this new project as it falls pretty flat offering only a few worthwhile keepers for longtime fans.

To keep it simple, there’s too much INDEPENDENCE on InDRUpendence Day. This is one situation where the artists may have had too much creative control, causing the album to lack stability and direction. Even the artwork gives the appearance that Sisqo and Nokio are vying for the central focus. Sonically, the album sounds less like a quartet, more like four solo singers competing, again, for spotlight. The soulful harmonies that made Dru Hill a force of the late 90’s are now overshadowed by excessive vocal augmentation devices and a lot of the album seems to lack authenticity. There’s even an absence of melody, a key factor in the group’s earlier work. Shut It Down and Can’t Stop are the group’s attempts at club spins, but both songs are more annoying than catchy. Most of the rest of the album suffers from bad lyrics, and underwhelming production.

Not surprisingly, the album’s highlights are all slow jams and ballads, an avenue where Dru Hill has always excelled. Away is the album’s most powerful ballad, stylistically reminiscent of All Alone from the group’s 1996 self-titled debut album. Among other enjoyable numbers are Remain Silent, the new single Back to the Future, and State of Emergency. As customary with every Dru Hill project, the group includes a cover song, this time taking on the 1985 Tears For Fears hit Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Politically charged, the song was perfect for the times, though the delivery was a bit flawed. The spoken-word monologue was unnecessary, as the song speaks volumes in itself, without Sisqo’s “extra”-ness.

As a longtime fan, this album disappointed me supremely. I miss the old Dru Hill, the balance of their sound and the soul of their music. InDRUpendence Day is a failed attempt at recapturing the group’s 90’s fame with poorly written songs and production that doesn’t deliver. While Dru Hill sat on the sidelines battling their own issues, their longtime fans matured. I won’t say it’s the end of the line for Dru Hill, but there aren’t too many yellow bricks left on this road. Club anthems, auto-tune, and weak pens lead this train to wreckage, and this album helps the group further fade into the blackness…

Sound-Savvy rates InDRUpendence Day with 1.5 out of 5 platinum headphones