Hailing from the Druid Hill section of Baltimore, the four members of Dru Hill quickly went from being local talent show winners to national stars when their 1996 debut album took off and eventually went multi-platinum. With Enter the Dru, an effective, reasonably well-constructed follow-up, they should have little trouble continuing that success. Any number of these cuts could be radio hits, ranging from the rapid-fire funk-lite of "Real Freak" and "How Deep Is Your Love" (from the soundtrack to Rush Hour) to the ballads "One Good Reason" and "Angel." Strangely, the first single chosen, Babyface's "These Are the Times," is blander than any of these. Oh well.
But despite the group's knack for scoring hits, Dru Hill is more notable for its competency than for any real excitement or innovation. On faster tunes, the quartet makes terrific use of its ability to sing in four-part harmony, but on slower numbers, the formulaic music, slightly clunky production, and dopey lyrics detract from the group's vocal flourishes. In "Angel," introduced by an odd spoken message, the chorus itself is awkward: "You're my angel/ My sun up in the sky/ We've been through hell and back together/ Why you wanna leave me now?" Huh? And "I'm Wondering" is somewhat undone by its oafish drum-machine programming. Ultimately, Dru Hill's music works best in small doses, and given the current state of contemporary radio, that, unfortunately, is an asset.
— Bob Remstein (Wall Of Sound)
n contemporary R&B, competency is not hard to find greatness is. If you follow the currently accepted trends, you can become famous… for a while. If, however, you can create your own individual, identifiable sound, you might just establish a lasting, fulfilling artistic career. Dru Hill would do well to follow the latter path.