This millennium's coming to an end and Jagged Edge, So So Def's premier male vocal quartet, are acting as if they have no time to waste. Black
music is enjoying more mainstream acceptance than ever and Brian, Brandon, Richard, and Kyle are taking what's rightfully theirs, gracing us
with some of R&B's warmest moments of late, all the while remaining true to what's in their hearts and souls on their emotionally-charged
sophomore disc, JE Heartbreak. While paying homage to one of Black music's most notorious male groups is just a small part of their choice of
title, there's also a much more personal significance to it. "The other reason why we named this album JE Heartbreak," Brian reasons, "is the fact
that in this past year, we felt a lot of heartbreak -- individually and collectively. It was something that we felt we should talk about, so we decided
to write about it." "There is a personal life away from the business," Kyle adds. "A lot of people don't realize that." Instead, what music lovers did
realize was that So So Def, already an urban leader in breaking formerly unknown acts (Kris Kross, Da Brat, Xscape), had scored big-time with
their first male group as well. Cross-pollinating soothing old school soul harmonies and textures with thoroughly rugged '90s sensibilities on their
RIAA gold-certified debut disc, A Jagged Era, the four Atlanta natives brought an earthy quality back to modern R&B. Though they could stay in
beat with the best of 'em -- as was evident on their disc single, "The Way That You Talk" (featuring JD and Da Brat) -- it's no surprise that their
way with a sultry groove is what ultimately clicked with music lovers. Indeed, the sensitive "Gotta Be" went on to become what some may refer to
as "the people's hit." "Everything we got was from the people," Brandon (a.k.a. "Case Dinero") suggests. "'Gotta Be' was a hit record, it was one
of the most requested songs of the year." "The fans validated us," his identical twin brother, Brian (a.k.a. "Brasco") concludes; "they were
reaching out to us." JE Heartbreak is a mostly self-written collection of songs running the gamut from straight-up street head-nodders to those
heart-wrenching soul ballads we've come to expect from them. Indeed, many of their experiences over the past year have resulted in an emotional
well of personalized material. Though they're quick to tell you that not every scenario is necessarily autobiographical. Brian explains, "just like on
A Jagged Era, we did a lot of writing. Even though each song is not necessarily a direct situation that one of us has been through, a lot of them are
close to us." Using their free time to write new material during the sometimes hectic promotional touring for A Jagged Era, Jagged Edge
manifested a wealth of new songs earlier than anyone could have expected. "Every time we came home," Kyle recalls, "we didn't have any free
time. There weren't any breaks. We were on a real grind; that's the growth from the first album to the sophomore album." With producers
Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox (of the Noontime camp), Gary "Gizzo" Smith and Teddy Bishop on board, JE Heartbreak created an honest
reflection of where these young men are coming from. Here are four guys who didn't mind communicating their truest feelings in a relationship.
They pledge devotion despite "what others may say" on the sensitive, soothing "Promise"; they conjure memories of old school slow-grind
classics, while wooing the object of their affections away from an unworthy lover on "He Can't"; they make the ultimate proposal, singing "meet
me at the altar in your white dress" on "Let's Get Married"; "What You Tryin' To Do" finds them forthrightly stating their love intentions to the
sound of an acoustic-tinged, swirling soul sway; while admittedly incorporating "a little Marvin Gaye-ish" flavor on the quiet storm of "Healing."
And though they're saying everything the ladies yearn to hear from a man, they acknowledge that sometimes it's the young lady who's not ready
for real commitment. "True Man," a smoldering, to-the-point ballad, deals with this head on. Brian clarifies the song's message, saying it's about
"meeting certain people, trying to get things right and they don't go right. Sometimes you meet a girl and you decide to just do the right thing all the
way. And the girl doesn't always see it that way. Well, she claims she sees it that way, but her actions speak otherwise. 'True Man' is saying,
"You say you want this now; but you can't even handle it. I gave you all of that; but that's not really what you want." Don't think for a second that
Jagged Edge can't get a party started. After all, their group moniker has always symbolized their penchant for being smooth, but a li'l rough
around the edges. JE Heartbreak comes equipped with some beat-driven party jams that are ripe for summer Jeep cruisin'. "Did She Say?," the
premier single, busts a bumpin' Beatnuts-looped groove that could fill any dance floor, while it doesn't get any more jammin' (or jiggy) than
"House, Money & the Keys to the Range." "Girl Is Mine," after a Bobby Brown-inspired intro, brings the fellas to a funk-fused '90s sound that
features the gruff, streetcore mic stylings of Def Jam rapper Ja Rule. "Well, Ja, JD and Jay-Z are all tight," says Brian of how they connected with
the blazin'-hot MC. "Ja's style works; that's why he's on every R&B thing right now. I ain't mad at Ja." Jagged Edge haven't changed much from
the four teenagers who sang in separate singing groups at church youth rallies. Nothing but fate could have led all four to Atlanta. After relocating
to the southeast's most flourishing music town from their native Hartford, Connecticut, Brian and Brandon quickly connected with the local church
community, where they instantly aligned themselves with the local vocalists. After a chance meeting with Kyle, then a member of another group,
Brain and Brandon teamed up with Kyle and two other vocalists, doing what they now refer to as a "R&B/hip-hop/Take 6 kind of thing." After a
slight line-up change, Brian, Brandon, Kyle and a fourth member formed Twin AK, a group which caught the attention of star-making Michael
Bivens and his Biv 10 label. When music industry red tape threatened to slow the pace of their recording career, the group's fourth member opted
out, just as the remaining members had ankled the Biv 10 deal. Enter Xscape member Kandi Burruss who suggested Richard Wingo, a past
schoolmate of hers, to be a part of the group. Finally feeling as if they had the right chemistry, the foursome recorded a demo (financed by the
twins' father) they could shop; Kandi subsequently put the Jagged Edge demo into the hands of a close associate of Jermaine Dupri's. An a capella
performance at JD's home made it a "done deal."