Dru Hill Enter The Dru CD

Dru Hill: Sisqo, Woody, Nokio, Jazz (vocals).
Additional personnel: Method Man (rap vocals); Michael Thompson, Sonny Lallerstedt, James Harrah (guitar); Greg Phillinganes (piano); David Foster, Guy Roche, Phil Weatherspoon (keyboards); Babyface, Daryl Simmons, Ralph B. Stacy, Damon Thomas (keyboards, drum programming); Ronnie Garrett, Alex Al (bass); William "P Sound" Thomas (drum programming); Chinky Brown Eyes.
Producers include: Dru Hill, Dutch, Daryl Simmons, Warryn "Smiley" Campbell, Babyface.
Engineers include: Jon Smeltz, Manny Marroquin, Joe Warlick.
Personnel: Dru Hill (vocals, background vocals); Nokio the N-Tity (vocals, keyboards, drum programming); Sisqó (vocals); Method Man (rap vocals); Sonny Lallerstedt, James Harrah, Michael Hart Thompson (guitar); Cameron Stone (strings); Greg Phillinganes (piano, keyboards, drum programming); Alex Al, Warryn Campbell (piano); Damon Thomas, Daryl Simmons, Guy Roche, Babyface, Ralph Stacy (keyboards, drum programming); Phil Weatherspoon, David Foster (keyboards); Simon Franglen (Synclavier); William "P Sound" Thomas (drum programming).
Audio Mixers: Manny Marroquin; Bonzai; Jon Gass; Jon Smeltz; Mick Guzauski; Thom "TK" Kidd; Thom Russo.
Recording information: Bananaboat Studio; Battery Studios; Brandon's Way Recording, Los Angeles, CA; Chartmaker Studios; Electric Lady Studio; Enterprise Studios; Larrabee West Studios; Ocean Way Recording; Oceanway Recording; Private Recording Studio; Silent Sound Studios; Studio, PA; The Studio, PA.
Photographers: Beth Coller; Tracy Lamonica; John Garcia.
Arrangers: Nokio the N-Tity; Guy Roche.
The best of the late-'90s R&B crooning quartets ups the musical ante on their sophomore album, lacing the silky-smooth grooves with splashes of street-tough shouts that are meant to antagonize as much as they are to seduce. And for a good deal of Enter the Dru, the formula works. There's a gutsy edge to the songs here (especially the hard-knocking "How Deep Is Your Love") that make one-time peers like Boyz II Men sound like the soulless R&B robots they are. Even when they get all warm and cozy with Babyface on the potentially mushy "These Are the Times" (in spite the absurdity of the straight-faced line "Tear you up in little pieces/Swallow you like Reese's Pieces"), 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. ~ Michael Gallucci
On their sophomore effort, Sisqo, Nokio, Woody and Jazz drop another gem. Following up on their 1996 debut, ENTER THE DRU finds Dru Hill delivering the same cutting-edge R&B that has made them a worldwide success. Contributions from some of the most talented contemporary writers and producers make ENTER THE DRU a hard album to resist. Super-hitmaker Babyface co-wrote and co-produced the first single, "These Are the Times," while David Foster co-produced the Diane Warren ballad "What Do I Do With The Love." Wu-Tang's Method Man flips a verse on "This Is What We Do."
There are plenty of trademark Dru Hill ballads such as "One Good Reason," "I'll Be The One' and "What Are We Gonna Do." Be sure to check out the Daryl Simmons-produced "The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)," which is a cover of a classic Dells song. With the huge success of their debut album, one can imagine the inherent difficulty in following it up. ENTER THE DRU is everything Dru Hill fans could want and more.Spin (12/98, p.183) - 7 (out of 10) - "...On these slow jams, they're still squatters in the house that Jodeci built, mimicking K-Ci's moans and groans over updated Devante grooves. But Dru make you dance better than Jodeci ever did, lacing fat beats with jazz piano, mafioso strings, and lead singer Sisque's syncopated staccatos..."i
The Source (1/99, p.194) - "...These brothers can sing, no question about it....Requisite remixes will have to be the album's insoles..."