Enter The Dru | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 27, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Studio | Larabee Studios (Los Angeles) | |||
Genre | R&B, hip hop soul | |||
Length | 66:01 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer | Kenneth Crear (exec.), Dru Hill (exec.), Hiriam Hicks (exec.), Haqq Islam (exec.), Kevin Peck (exec.), Baby Dave, Babyface, Warryn Campbell, Dutch, David Foster, James "Woody" Green, Nokio the N-Tity, Guy Roche, Daryl Simmons, Sisqó, Ralph Stacy, Damon Thomas | |||
Dru Hill chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Enter The Dru | ||||
|
Enter the Dru is the second studio album from American R&B group Dru Hill. Released on October 27, 1998, it was the group's second and final album for Island Black Music, the urban music division of Island Records; Island was merged with Def Jam Recordings following a company merger in December the same year, as Dru Hill would later be transferred to Def Jam's Def Soul subsidiary.[1][2]
The album's title was inspired by the Bruce Lee 1973 film, Enter the Dragon.
This is the first album that the group were credited as executive producers as all four members wrote and produced several of the songs. It released three singles, "How Deep Is Your Love", "These Are The Times" and "You Are Everything". The singles all had music videos released, but the music video for "You Are Everything" was a remix video, which featured rapper Ja Rule, and Woody did not appear in it due to him leaving the group in early 1999. The remix version was later featured on lead singer Sisqó's debut album, Unleash the Dragon, which was released that November.
Recording sessions for the album took place at Larabee Studios in Los Angeles. The album peaked at number two on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. In May 1999, it was certified double-platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), after exceeding 2,000,000 copies in the United States.
The songs on the album are mainly performed by lead singer, Sisqó, who performs solo on four songs: "Real Freak", "How Deep Is Your Love", "This Is What We Do" and "One Good Reason". Jazz performs solo on "Holding You" and "I'll Be the One". Woody performs solo on "Angel". Nokio does not perform solo on any songs but he does get more lead vocals than on the group's eponymous debut album.
The album was recorded over a three-week span at Larabee Studios in Los Angeles during the early months of 1998.[3] Group member James "Woody Rock" Green would leave the group soon after the release of the album to pursue a career as a gospel musician. The other members also went on to do solo albums, which forced the group to go on hiatus.[3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | C+[5] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | (7/10)[8] |
The album peaked at number two on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and the R&B Albums chart.[9] The album was certified gold in December 1998 and eventually recertified double-platinum by May 1999.[10] Michael Gallucci of Allmusic gave the group and their second effort a favorable review, stating that "Dru Hill slice into the section of '90s soul music that crosses bedroom come-ons with classic street savvy (and nervy beats) without sounding at all whipped."[4]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Enter the Dru" (Interlude) | Mark Andrews; David Evans | Sisqó, Baby Dave | 0:53 |
2. | "Real Freak" (featuring Chinky Brown Eyes) | Mark Andrews; David Evans | Sisqó, Baby Dave | 3:34 |
3. | "How Deep Is Your Love" | Tamir Ruffin; Mark Andrews; Warryn Campbell | Dutch, Nokio The N-Tity, Warryn Campbell | 4:03 |
4. | "This Is What We Do" (featuring Method Man) | Mark Andrews; Tamir Ruffin; Rick Cousin | Nokio The N-Tity, Dutch | 4:21 |
5. | "Holding You" | Larry Anthony; Rick Cousin | Dutch, Jazz | 4:28 |
6. | "I'm Wondering" | Tamir Ruffin; Warryn Campbell; Rick Cousin | Warryn Campbell, Nokio The N-Tity | 4:17 |
7. | "You Are Everything" | Mark Andrews; Rick Cousin | Sisqó, Dutch | 4:34 |
8. | "I'll Be The One" | Daryl Simmons | Daryl Simmons | 4:26 |
9. | "Nowhere Without You" (Interlude) | Mark Andrews; James Green | Sisqó, Warryn Campbell | 1:06 |
10. | "One Good Reason" | Ralph Stacy; Raphael Brown | Ralph Stacy, Nokio The N-Tity | 4:15 |
11. | "Angel" (Interlude) | James Green; Warryn Campbell | Warryn Campbell, Woody | 1:33 |
12. | "Angel" | James Green; Warryn Campbell | Warryn Campbell, Woody, Nokio The N-Tity | 4:24 |
13. | "What Do I Do With The Love" | Diane Warren | David Foster, Guy Roche, Nokio The N-Tity | 4:46 |
14. | "Beauty" | Tamir Ruffin; Guy Roche; Phil Weatherspoon | Guy Roche, Nokio The N-Tity | 4:32 |
15. | "These Are the Times" | Kenneth Edmonds; Damon Thomas | Babyface, Damon Thomas | 4:09 |
16. | "The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)" | Terry Callier; Larry Wade | Daryl Simmons | 5:35 |
17. | "What Are We Gonna Do" | Tamir Ruffin; Ralph Cousin; Shep Crawford | Nokio The N-Tity, Dutch | 5:06 |
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[23] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Gold | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA)[10] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Information taken from Allmusic.[25][26]