En Vogue: EV3 (EastWest/Elektra)
Ann Powers, Spin, August 1997
IT'S ONLY fitting that EV3, En Vogue's first album since 1992's slam-dunk smash Funky Divas, hits the racks the same week the Women's National Basketball Association brings female athleticism to the forefront of public consciousness. Nobody does natural talent better than this trio. While Mariah and Whitney flex vocal brawn, and Mary J. and TLC make up for shaky pitch and range with heart and cool, Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron Braggs, and Maxine Jones transcend the competition through sheer physical grace. Who cares if someone else designed the package? Michael Jordan didn't invent basketball; he just perfected it.
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