Released June 17, 1997 Length 59:00 | Genre R&B, pop, hip hop Label eastwest | |
Recorded September 1996—May 1997 Producer Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy, Babyface, En Vogue, Andrea Martin, Chris Bolden, Ivan Matias, Organized Noize, Pro-Jay
David Foster | ||
EV3 is the third studio album by American female vocal group En Vogue released on June 17, 1997 on East West Records. The album features the three US Pop & R&B hits; "Don't Let Go (Love)", "Whatever" and "Too Gone, Too Long".
Contents
Background
Originally called Friendship, the album was En Vogue's first project that was not fully produced by Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster; the then quartet called on hitmakers Babyface, David Foster, Diane Warren, and Ivan Matias among others to provide the group with a new modern sound.
EV3 was the last album recorded with Dawn Robinson who decided to leave the group for a solo career. Her abrupt departure from En Vogue forced the remaining trio to re-record several of Dawn's original lead vocals; however, not every track was re-recorded, with Dawn's leads remaining intact on several tracks and her background vocals still appearing on every song with the exception of "Does Anybody Hear Me".
The album was recorded at Brandon's Way Recording Studio, Doppler Recording Studios, The Record Plant, Music Grinder, FM Studios, Chartmaker Studios & Westlake Studios.
The track "Let It Flow" reuses the main riff of the 1977 hit single "Slide" by funk band Slave.
Singles
EV3 spawned three hit singles. The lead single, "Don't Let Go (Love)" was worldwide hit and peak #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The single sold 1.3 million copies in the United States and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
The second single, "Whatever" peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single was certified gold by the RIAA after sales of over 500,000 copies.
"Too Gone, Too Long" was the official final single released, the song was a top 40 hit on both Billboard's Hot 100 at #33 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at #25. Although, "Let It Flow" was a contender to be the final single, plans for a single release never materialized, but it did appear the following year on their greatest hits compilation album, Best of En Vogue, released in 1999.
The impact of Dawn's departure
Dawn Robinson's lead vocals still appear on all of the Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster produced songs, with the only exceptions being "Eyes of a Child" (her background vocals still remain) and "Does Anybody Hear Me" on which none of her vocals appear.