The first weekend of Jodeci—The Show, The After Party, The Vegas Residency in mid-March couldn’t have turned out better. The baddest boys of ’90s R&B did not disappoint the legions of ladies who turned the House of Blues shows into sold-out affairs. K-Ci and Jojo are still on point with smooth, emotive singing delivery. DeVanté Swing still causes audible audience swooning when tickling the ivories, and Mr. Dalvin’s capacity for rap-lyric recall has not diminished.
That may be due to the decade-long warm-up leading to The Vegas Residency after the four elements of Jodeci took an extended layoff. It’s been 33 years since they burst onto the charts with debut album Forever My Lady, scoring hits with “Stay,” “Come & Talk to Me” and the No. 1 title track. They took New Jack Swing to the next level under the direction of production wiz Swing, whose audacious early moves led to Jodeci being signed.
The North Carolina-born prodigy made a pilgrimage to Minnesota as a teen and made attempts to infiltrate Prince’s Paisley Park. The mission failed, but Swing’s determination was strengthened. Back home he began working with Jojo, who had been involved in the ’80s gospel music recording industry with brother K-Ci.
Photo by: Denise Truscello
K-Ci had a preternaturally developed tenor voice that made him the focal point of Little Cedric and the Hailey Singers. It was a no-brainer to begin working with him. Jojo, Swing and K-Ci each donated a syllable from their names to “Jodeci” before Swing’s brother Mr. Dalvin came on board. Swing saw harmonizing possibilities. Four voices could be multitracked into eight, or 16. A distinctive sound.
And there would be four bodies moving on stage, the perfectly even number that drives the four-on-the-floor dance beat. Jojo would prove to be especially adept at interpreting lyrics and sentiment with his body, but first Jodeci had to get discovered. Swing took the initiative and drove the singers to New York and Uptown Records. Rapper Heavy D heard their music and turned them onto Uptown founder Andre Harrell. A recording contract quickly followed.
Jodeci would become the flip side of the image coin to Boys II Men and New Edition. The vibe would be expressed via album titles such as Diary of a Mad Band and The Show, The After Party, The Hotel from 1993 and 1995, respectively. The bad boys were lovermen in the tradition of Barry White and Teddy Pendergrass, but the stage shows were spectacles of shirtless seduction and sensuality.
The group fractured after album three, with K-Ci and Jojo racking up hits as a duo. A reunion resulted in 2015 album The Past, the Present, the Future, and a 2022 slot opening for New Edition warmed Jodeci up enough for a 2023 headlining tour. A dream gig headlining the Hollywood Bowl preceded the resumption of The Vegas Residency this month. The bad boys are riding a riptide of reunion success that doesn’t show any sign of slowing down.
Mandalay Bay, 8:30 p.m. July 10 and 12-13, starting at $81 plus tax and fee. mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com
Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. In addition to the latest edition emailed to every week, you’ll find plenty of great, money-saving offers from some of the most exciting attractions, restaurants, properties and more! And Las Vegas Magazine is full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.
