Thought Ya Knew

Ce Ce Peniston's second album, Thought 'Ya Knew, did not deserve the fate it received — that of the dreaded sophomore slump. Her debut album, Finally, yielded one of the 1990s' biggest and most unforgettable dance songs, "Finally," making her a huge star among the dance community. The big mistake was trying to market her to an R&B audience, which is what her label did with her sophomore album. The first two singles, "I'm Not Over You" and "I'm In the Mood," were fun, jazzy, finger-snapping R&B cuts, but came nowhere near "Finally" in terms of artistic achievement, dancefloor potential, or chart performance. The third single, "Hit By Love," was closer in spirit to her early dance hits, but by that time the steam had worn off and the song didn't become a hit. This album, however, is definitely not a bad album. It contains several agreeable cuts, including "Searchin'," the clubby "Give What I'm Givin'," the funky, reggae-tinged "Through These Doors," "If You Love Me, I Will Love You," the gospel-infused "I Will Be Received," and the house track "Keep Givin' Me Your Love," which later garnered some attention due to its inclusion in the Pret-A-Porter soundtrack. However, this album is not free of filler, most evident on boring, assembly-line ballads like "Forever in My Heart" and "Whatever It Is." Nonetheless, it didn't deserve its lousy fate — Peniston fell victim to misguided marketing on her record label's part. ~ Jose F. Promis, Rovi