Jomanda - Someone To Love Me (1990)

Fluctuating between En Vogue-influenced R&B/urban contemporary and more club-oriented house and dance music, Jomanda was one of the more noteworthy "girl groups" of the early to mid-1990s. Though the influence of En Vogue's soaring harmonies is hard to miss on this debut album, the trio was far from a clone group and projected a likable personality of its own. Besides, En Vogue wasn't recording nearly as much dance music as Jomanda. Not outstanding but certainly decent, material ranging from the high-tech R&B of "Share," "It Ain't No Big Thing" and "What's the Deal" to the bass-heavy house music of "Make My Body Rock 1990," "Dance" and "Don't You Want My Love" indicated that Jomanda was worth keeping an eye on. © Alex Henderson