| Volume III Just Right | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Soul II Soul |
| Cover: | Soul II Soul - Volume III Just Right.png |
| Released: | 1992 |
| Genre: | R&B |
| Length: | 41:54 |
| Label: |
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| Producer: | Jazzie B |
| Prev Year: | 1990 |
| Next Title: | Volume IV The Classic Singles 88–93 |
| Next Year: | 1993 |
Volume III Just Right is the third album by the English music collective Soul II Soul, released in 1992 through Ten and Virgin Records.[1] [2] Its first single was "Joy".[3]
The album peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 88 on the Billboard 200. "Mood" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance.[4]
The album was produced by Jazzie B, who also rapped on three of the tracks.[5] [6] Jazzie used several male vocalists on the album, including Richie Stephens.[7]
Gary Barnacle played flute on Just Right; Snake Davis played saxophone.[8] [9] Caron Wheeler sang on "Take Me Higher". "Move Me No Mountain" is a cover of the song made famous by Love Unlimited.[10]
Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Jazzie has returned to the low-key feel of his first album with little deviation, except that he has turned to male singers, instead of his usual stable of divas, to revive his by-now-stale formula." Trouser Press lamented that the collective had "devolved from a groundbreaking, if creatively unreliable, soul collective to a not particularly exciting R&B act."[11] The Gazette considered the album "background music at best," writing that "this is when groovy becomes generic."[12]
Rolling Stone noted that "the Seventies-obsessed string arrangements on Just Right are piquant and precise."[13] The Indianapolis Star stated that "Jazzie B. and his 'sound system' turn in a confident, entertaining and well-plotted blend of R&B, jazz, African and dance influences." The Calgary Herald praised the "rich vocals, big fat beats, choral interludes, soul grooves and African wind instrumentals." The Virginian-Pilot called the album "sluggish buppie pop with some vaguely hip elements grafted on," writing that it "offers little but a desperate pandering to the Quiet Storm."
| Peak position | ||
| US Billboard 200[14] | 88 | |
|---|---|---|
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] | 33 |