After he notices the new girl on the first track, or more figuratively, allows himself to engage with the idea of cheating on his boo, he waits impatiently for a new flame (you guessed it, a cutie he caught eyes with at the club) to meet him at a hotel in “Shorty (Got Her Eyes On Me).” Ultimately, he's stood up, leading him to express his internal struggle on the title track, promising his boo that he will return after sowing his wild oats (sorting out his “youthful lust” as he refers to it). (Queue Nelly's 2000 “Dilemma” and Usher's 2013 “You Make Me Wanna.”). It seems to tell the story of a man torn between his boo and a woman who 1.) piques his interest, but is also caught up in her own romantic situation, or 2.) simply serves as a muse for heteromasculine rumination. Smooth and stylish, right from the outset Where I Wanna Be reminds the listener that it's aged surprisingly well (21 years this month, in fact!).īut the tune accomplishes another goal: setting up the album's concept. The song is one of the most straightforward here, but it does let the listener know: this Donell cat, and not just his love-object, knows what's up. It's all very catchy, with a syncopated “oooooh say what say what say what / yeah / oooooh girl you know what's up” bouncing rhythmically atop a deft fusion of new jack swing and boom bap. He likely hasn't even met her yet-this tune serves as the fantasy introduction of their story.
Those who owned a radio in the late '90s have probably heard the album's opener, “U Know What's Up.” Filled with summer nostalgia, layered call and response oooohs frame our narrator's thinly veiled but clever pitch to an“other” woman. It's a rewarding listening experience for devotees, dabblers, or the unacquainted who find themselves open to the particular emotionality of this music.
Where I Wanna Be is one such release: Donell's only record to ever go platinum, and a fascinating look into the ambivalence of a player in an over-saturated mythos at the turn of the century. Certain albums showcase this balance with such grace that it's tragic when they don't make their way through the cultural game of Telephone we all play. But, when done well, these same elements elevate r&b to some of the highest heights music can reach. Combine that with heavy use of melisma, same-y production, and lyrics that are often forgettable (at times, even trite!) and you've got yourself a recipe for some valid criticism. This can make it feel exhausting to sift through, even for music digging enthusiasts. The genre has suffered from commercial over-saturation since it started gaining traction in the 1990s, resulting in a near omnipresent body of music that heavily favors the single over the LP format. It's not difficult to sympathize with detractors of contemporary r&b. Review Summary: Many consider the arena of modern r&b and soul to be a cliche, but Donell Jones challenges that notion on Where I Wanna Be, serving up underrated neo-soul just a couple of months before y2k yielded a new wave of the amalgam genre.