The R&B world hasn’t been shining as bright as it could be lately. So when the site got a submission from long time affiliate Iri$h The Pen ($hamrock) that was centered around an old school R&B challenge, it was a must share. Motown crooner BJ The Chicago Kid teamed up with RCA singer Ro James and the pair crafted a collaboration that pays homage to the timeless hit “Come & Talk To Me” by the legendary group Jodeci. The collab became a major hit with the people and sparked a worldwide #JodeciChallenge via popular social media platform Instagram. Brian Angel (Day26) is one of the artists who decided to take on the challenge. He teamed up with songwriters Iri$h The Pen and Dain Harris and Grammy-award winning producer Luney Tunez (Rihanna, Future) to help his version stand out from the rest. Not only was this a fun exercise for Brian but it holds some personal meaning as well.
For Brian, as one fifth of P.Diddy’s hand-selected R&B supergroup Day26 at the end of MTV’s Making the Band 4, the tribute has special significance as well: Jodeci was assigned to a young Uptown intern named Sean Combs, who took on the task of developing the new act. Combs helped navigate both Jodeci and Day26 to Billboard chart success and international tours while integrating Hip-Hop fashion and Gospel-style vocal arrangements.
Brian’s response to the challenge incorporates a new story-line with lyrics and melodies from the Jodeci original & remix versions sprinkled throughout. Where as the fellas of Jodeci had kind of a crush/infatuation thing going on, Brian is more so trying to save a special lady from a bad situation. He serenades “I’ve been watching you for so very long. And I don’t understand why you let that man do you wrong. I see the pain when I look deep into your eyes. You deserve more from him than broken promises and lies. See I wanna hold you. Show you everything that you’re going through, that ain’t love.” Ladies can we say swoon (lbvs)? Not only does Brian serve up A-1 lyrics but his vocals are pretty snazzy too. And former Jodeci front-man K-Ci Hailey seems to agree as he gave his seal of approval when the rework was previewed via an IG snippet. There is no question that Brian Angel and his team nail this challenge.
**My Two Cents: Anyone who knows me knows that I LIVE for Jodeci. So I was very excited to check out this submission. And it did not disappoint at all. Iri$h and Dain kill it on the writing tip and Luney adapts a version of the production that really suites Brian’s vocals well. I love the fact that they decided to put in a little extra effort and draft up fresh content. It really makes a difference and helps to show off Brian’s range. If this is what the fellas do when they’re just “messing around,” I would love to hear what happens when they get serious. I truly can’t say enough good things about this challenge. Readers definitely need to give this one an ear for themselves. Who would you like to see take on the #JodeciChallenge next or what old school group do you think deserves a challenge of their own? Drop us a line or two in the comments section and share your thoughts. -MinM
