*1/2 Dru Hill

ENTER THE DRU

(Island Black Music)

In their press kit, this rough-looking quartet claim that their 1996 debut was a mega-platinum smash because it left behind predecessors like Boyz II Men and Jodeci with the hard, raw freshness of "alternative R&B." But despite copping their look and new album title straight from rap's notorious Wu-Tang Clan and opening the disc with a few doomy, vaguely Wu-ish numbers -- "This Is What We Do" even features a winning guest rap from Method Man -- Dru eventually take refuge in a long string of sing-song jams that reduce the idea of tender romance to bland sappiness, just the way the old boyz did. You might be able to distinguish Babyface's throwaway from Diane Warren's requisite contribution if you try, but why bother? Despite the crew's strained vocals, Enter the Dru is about surrendering to prefabricated sentimentality. If that's "dangerous," it's in a far more insidious way than their tattoos and facial piercings pretend.

-- Franklin Soults