by Ron Wynn
A pair of brother acts combined forces to form Jodeci, a singing group with one foot in the future and the other squarely in the past. Dalvin and Devante Swing DeGrate teamed with JoJo and K-Ci Hailey for a debut album that mixed vintage soul singing with new jack production and bravado. But it wasn't the hip-hop-flavored songs that earned them popularity; instead, urban contemporary audiences embraced the love tunes &Come and Talk to Me& and the title track, signaling the beginnings of a move away from new jack swing that became a full-fledged retreat.