The LFO is back with a new album

Were the Lyte Funkie Ones in great dread of the sophomore jinx or were they really just slow workers? I ask this because it took the LFO almost two years to come up with its follow-up album to its hit-studded self-titled debut. That was the one with that engaging tune Summer Girls, which topped the charts in many parts of the world including the Philippines. There were also other strong singles like Girl On TV, West Side Story and I Don’t Wanna Kiss You Goodnight.

For a while there I thought that the talented, good-looking trio with the exciting sound had become just another chart statistic that blazed for a while but burnt itself out before realizing its full potential. Well, it now turned out that that is not true at all. The trio Lyte Funkie Ones is back with the album titled Life is Good. Judging from the cover pic, Rich, Brad and Devin are still great lookers and judging from the contents of the album, it will be quite easy for these guys to hurdle the sophomore jinx.

LFO’s approach to the materials contained in Life is Good is every bit as original as the one that they gave to their first album. The only difference here is that R&B seems to have taken on a very dominant role and this could be a sign that the trio is leaning more towards that direction. They even have hip hop acts like De La Soul, MOP and Kelis joining them in some of the cuts. The arrangements are also more complicated with instruments layered one on top of the other for a more mature type of sound. The fun atmosphere though that made the first album so special is still thankfully present. And as long as these guys continue to retain their sense of wonder, I do not think that LFO should have any trouble creating hits.

I find The Sun Still Shines the most commercial among the 14 cuts contained in the album. Every Other Time and 28 Days should also make good singles. The others are 6 Minutes, Alayna feat. De La Soul, Erase Her, Dandelion, which comes in two mixes, one featuring Kelis, Life is Good with MOP, Where You Are, What If, If I Had a Dollar, Gravity and That’s the Way It Is.

Rich Cronin had done some talent shows and was with some groups as a kid in Boston but he only thought of show business as a hobby. He was working on a college degree in advertising from Bridgewater State College when he vacationed in Orlando, Florida and met Brad. Suddenly, the music started to happen and he was soon singing and writing songs. He composed the group’s early hits, Summer Girls, West Side Story and Girl on TV and co-wrote all of the songs in Life is Good.

Brad Fischetti was born in New York and raised in New Jersey. He modeled while attending the University of Texas in Dallas. Unknown to people, he was all the while singing and writing songs in the privacy of his basement. His older brother convinced him to move to Orlando where he continued modeling. Then he met Rich.

Devin Lima also comes from Boston and was often mistaken for the lead singer of Color Me Badd. He was indeed singing with a boy band at that time but it was the harmony group Natural High. He met Rich and Devin in Orlando, who were then working as a duo and decided to join them. He is the one charged with singing the solo for the group’s love songs.

Meanwhile, here are the current hits in the US of A as tabulated by Billboard Magazine. The singles: Fallin’ by current sensation Alicia Keys; I’m Real by Jennifer Lopez feat. Ja Rule; Where the Party at by Jagged Edge with Nelly; Hit ’Em Up Style (Oops!) by Blu Cantrell; U Remind Me by Usher; It’s Been Awhile by Staind; Some to Call My Lover by Janet Jackson; Family Affair by Mary J. Blige; Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve feat. Gwen Stefani; and Isso (H.O.V.A.) by Jay-Z.

The albums: The Blueprint by Jay-Z; Silver Side Up by Nickelback; Songs in A Minor by Alicia Keys; Ghetto Fabolous by Fabolous; Love and Theft by Bob Dylan; Satellite by P.O.D.; Glitter the original motion picture soundtrack featuring Mariah Carey; [Hybrid Theory] by Linkin Park; Now 7 by Various Artists; and Aaliyah by the recently departed singer/actress.