Background
The lead single, "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)", became an instant hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 in the UK. The accompanying video for "My Lovin'" won two MTV Video Music Awards. The song samples the funk guitar line of James Brown's 1973 song "The Payback" from the album of the same name.
The second single, "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" (a cover of the Aretha Franklin hit from the film Sparkle), also became a top ten hit on the US Hot 100 (and also their fifth #1 single in the US R&B chart). Another Franklin song from Sparkle, "Hooked on Your Love", is also on the album, as is a rendition of The Beatles' hit "Yesterday".
The third single, the rock-infused "Free Your Mind", became another top ten hit. In the UK, the single made the top 20 and was backed with "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", which had failed to make the UK top 40 by itself earlier that year. The video for "Free Your Mind" won three MTV Video Music Awards in 1993.
By the time the fourth single, "Give It Up, Turn It Loose", was released in early 1993, the Funky Divas album was already certified triple platinum in the US by the RIAA. The single gave the group another UK Top 40 hit (#22).
The fifth and final single released from Funky Divas was "Love Don't Love You", which was remixed for its release. The video for the single consists of clips from previous En Vogue videos "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", "Free Your Mind", as well as two of their 1990 videos "Lies" and "You Don't Have To Worry".
A second edition of the album containing the later hits "Runaway Love" and "Whatta Man" (with Salt-N-Pepa) was released in the UK in 1994. This edition of Funky Divas also includes remixed versions of "Hip Hop Lover", "It Ain't Over Till the Fat Lady Sings", and "Love Don't Love You" (a different remix from the US single release in 1993), along with slightly altered artwork inside the CD booklet.
As with En Vogue's first album, Born to Sing, Funky Divas includes lead vocals by each member of the group on different songs.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
| Robert Christgau | link |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B-) link |
| Los Angeles Times | link |
| New York Times | (favorable) link |
| Q | link |
| Rhapsody | (favorable) link |
| Rolling Stone | 1992 |
| Rolling Stone | 2004 |
| Yahoo! Music | (favorable) link |
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