The 90’s were overflowing with vocal groups. Last week saw us salute the males, so this week it’s the turn of the ladies. Today’s From The Vault pick comes courtesy of Xscape’ and their hit ‘My Little Secret’.
Served up as the second single from the band’s third and final LP ‘Traces Of My Lipstick’, the sultry groove, released in 1998, was produced by mentor Jermaine Dupri and written by band-member LaTocha Scott. It was the So So Def divas very last single together, as they decided to call it quit safter this release despite this single hitting #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot Hip-Hop/R&B.
In similar fashion to TLC’s ‘Creep’ a few years back, ‘Secret’ deals with infidelity — this time with the ladies singing about the thrill sourced from entertaining a relationship with an « unavailable » lover.
Editor’s Sidenote: One can’t but smile at the brazenness of R&B singers for unleashing tracks like this, then flipping the script and singing about heartbreak and “triflin”. A little bit of everything for everyone, it seems…
Directed by Darren Grant, the video with its late-night-special feel, uses dark colors and shadows in a bid to accentuate the forbidden element of the lyrics. The soulful belles look particularly stunning in what is arguably their most celebrated visual.
With each release, Xscape had managed to gradually impose their brand of pure-R&B and we feel like, had they continued pushing through, they would have delivered even bigger classics for the genre, especially in a post-The Boy Is Mine world where all eyes were on Rhythm & Blues music.
Anyhow, today we’re tipping out hats to the ladies of Xscape for the gems they did deliver.
