Mr Dalvin's vindication

Mr. Dalvin, ah yes... *dreamy sigh*… I remember him alright. I wasn't even a big Jodeci fan, but more so an r&b fan in the 90s, and Jodeci did not escape my radar. They couldn't, because they breathed new life into the concept of a boyband and into r&b music. No smoochy smooth stuff, nope rough, dirty and down to business. They paved the way for all that nasty shit on the radio today. And Mr. Dalvin was the favorite member among my friends, at that time.

It's hard to say if he still has those looks, because a lot gets hidden behind big sun glasses, nowadays. Very smart, because sun glasses become your best friend at a certain age. But that slightly arrogant attitude from back in the day still seems to be there. It's very present in his new song, "Vindication (Get Money)", featuring GOODZ, in which he tries to reclaim the fame and fortune he once knew.

I have to give him credit where credit is due, though. The song is actually a really clever mix of his old Jodeci sound with a contemporary feel. He could give lessons to a few other artists about how to do this correctly. I think this is one of the most successful attempts I've heard at it. It doesn’t take anything away from the Jodeci legacy. If anything, it actually adds something to it. Nevertheless, I do think that it mainly appeals to those who love 90s r&b music. People like me, who have a history with it.

It’s been awhile since there’s been new solo music released by Mr. Dalvin. His last solo album stems from 2012 and he has been mentioning solo projects since 2015, but the comeback Jodeci tried to initiate interrupted this.

Jodeci still appear on my timeline, regularly. They seem to get their regular performances, so I see lotds of flyers for gigs passing by. Usually in The States. I know their last album, "The Past, The Present, The Future", was well received, but it didn't make the same impact their albums did back in the 90s. Mr. Dalvin was already performing solo on the side and his release sets things in motion for him to pursue more solo activities, so I’m hoping this is not just a pilot to test the waters.

It's nice to see so many people chase their dreams. There are a lot of 90s r&b artists making new careers for themselves. It’s a great time to do so. We all still go out so often and it allows for a club scene to exist with people above the age of 20, allowing artists like these to do their thing. What I wonder though, is if we still buy music. Mr. Dalvin, luckily, also released the song to streaming services, but some other 90s artists literally only sell their music on their website and I think their reach will be limited then, while Mr. Dalvin might actually get that some of money he’s talking about.