I know most of you remembered these six talented individuals known as New Edition featuring Ralph Tresvant, Ricky Bell, Ronnie Devoe, Michael Bivins, Johnny Gill, and that damn Bobby Brown. They are one of the most successful r&b groups in the 1980's and 1990's with countless hits as a group and solo artists as well. They were one of the pioneers of that 'boy band' craze that is influential in the pop music culture. The Jacksons and Temptations made it a possible for New Edition to do their thing in the music industry. When New Edition first came out, they were compared to the Jacksons in their preteen to teenage years. The group was soon compared to the Temptations as they matured with the music. These brothers came from Boston, MA/Washington DC to take the music world by storm with their harmonies and dance steps. New Edition was no joke when it came to live shows. You would pay good money to see a top quality concert performance from the group. NE has definitely been on point at their shows wearing the same outfits, supported by a 4-5 piece band, changing microphone position on different songs, and those ladies acting wild for their favorite members.
This two disc compilation gives music lovers the true reason why N.E. is a powerful force in the history of music. They were able to mix up hip hop, r&b, pop, and a little gospel all into one package. What can you say about the hits like Cool It Now, Mr Telephone Man, Can You Stand the Rain, If It Isn't Love, Count Me Out, Hit Me Off, A Little Bit of Love (Is All It Takes), Lost in Love, You're Not My Kind of Girl, My Secret, With You All the Way, and I'm Still in Love With You. The disadvantage of this cd was not including their early hit records such as Candy Girl, Popcorn Love, Jealous Girl, and Is This The End. Those songs were from an independent label called Streetwise before they signed with the major label MCA. There are remixes from the hit songs Crucial and NE Heartbreak (which is one my favorite NE joints of all time. The video had them dancing in Hammer pants and riding the mopads.). The cd also have some rare and unreleased cuts such as Once In A Lifetime Groove, Helplessly in Love, One More Day, You Don't Have to Worry and the remake of a 60's classic song Earth Angel. Then came the solo years of New Edition. Bobby Brown was known as the 'bad boy' of r&b during the late 1980's and early 1990's with his signature raunchy dance moves and hip hop style of stage presence. This dude was on top of the world at one point then reality came crashing down hard on him from his legal troubles to his turbulent marriage to Whitney Houston. You could not deny that Bobby was that dude when he released the classics My Prerogative (#1 and his signature hit record that changed the r&b sounds which led to the New Jack Swing movement marrying r&b and hip hop beautifully), Don't Be Cruel (first r&b song i heard including a rap in the song.), Every Little Step (certified pop/r&b classic with a hip hop flavor also the video was crazy with the big letter words of the song title and three beautiful ladies walking in tall boots with a top notch sexy vibe), Girlfriend (his first solo hit since he broke away from New Edition and nice ballad at that), On Our Own (classic banger from the Ghostbusters II movie that saluted his greatness of being a major success), and Humpin Around (one of the final hits in his career before the downfall ). The disc did not contain classic ballads Roni and Rock Wit Cha and uptempo tracks like Get Away. Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie Devoe became the powerful trio Bell Biv Devoe with hits like Poison (this song still gets the party started by listening to drum kit patterns in the song), Do Me (I bet people got in trouble with this song. These dudes were strictly on the sex tip.), BBD I Thought It Was Me (one of their best jamming songs in their career which gave them platform of the style of hip hop and r&b together and adding a little pop to the style), and the classic ballad When Will I See You Smile Again (Ricky Bell gets major props for this joint and became certified as a beast on the vocals). BBD were the background cats in New Edition because there were many speculations about about them being successful on their own. They were heavily popular during the 1990-1992 time frame in music. Johnny Gill is one of the most talented singers in modern r&b and soul music history. He paid his dues in this industry from his early years of with Stacy Lattisaw then joining New Edition in the late 1980s to help give the group a mature sound. This powerful career move benefited both NE and Johnny because Johnny was able to gain major recognition and being a member of member of NE when they were successfully established. Johnny reached his peak solo wise with the classics such as Wrap My Body Tight, Rub You the Right Way, and his signature slow jam My My My. He had a few more hits that could have been on the disc such as Fairweather Friend, Long Way from Home, and Half Crazy. Ralph Tresvant was the lead singer of New Edition and had a few hits as solo artists. People had said about Ralph would have more of a successful career if he would have went solo during the 1980's. He chose to remain faithful to New Edition until the other members were focusing on their solo projects. During the short span of his solo career, Ralph was able to break a few hits such as Sensitivity, Do What I Gotta Do, and Money Can't Buy You Love (which the song from the soundtrack to the movie Mo Money featuring Damon and Shawn Wayans along with beautiful actress Stacey Dash.).
New Edition proved their mark in music by showcasing each individual in the group. They successfully created spinoff groups and solo artists with all six members. The group gets together on certain occasions for performances and recordings. So much talent in the group makes you wonder about any egos involved. The group members have admitted in different interviews that egos came into play with their success. There are times when you can't get all the guys in one room because they have got very comfortable with being successful in their solo careers. New Edition will always have a place in the history of music. So many artists and groups owe their careers to the guys. These dudes are still giving good concert performances. Whenever they are in your hometown, be sure to check them out.
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