Poison
Artist: Bell Biv DeVoe
Community Score: 8.00

With so many faceless, sound-alike albums having come out of the "new jack swing" hybrid in the late '80s and early to mid-'90s, it's important to give credit to the form's more creative and imaginative figures. Along with Guy and Bobby Brown, Bell Biv DeVoe (a New Edition spin-off trio comprised of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe)... Read More

Rick & Friends
Artist: Rick James

An 11-song collection of Rick James productions that includes solo releases and tracks featuring James working with the Mary Jane Girls, Teena Marie, and Smokey Robinson. Rick explodes on "Super Freak," "17," "You and I," "Give It to Me Baby," "Bustin' Out" (with its spacy dope beat), and "Mary Jane," Rick's funky homage to marijuana. The Mary... Read More

Benet
Artist: Benet

A solid debut from future star Eric Benet and his sister, Lisa. The first single, "Only Want To Be With You," and charted briefly on the R&B charts. The next single, "Rainy Days and Mondays," was a remake of the Carpenters' classic, and Benet does a sensitive and reverent cover with a poignant sax solo by Dave Koz. Producer/writer Sami McKinney... Read More

Womanchild
Artist: Bemshi
Community Score: 10.00

Is she urban contemporary, pop/rock, or world music? Very hard to categorize, Bemshi's debut album, Womanchild, didn't make the playlists of either pop or R&B stations in the U.S. -- and that's a shame because this neglected CD has a lot to offer. To be sure, Womanchild doesn't fit neatly into any one category. The music of Bemshi, an expressive... Read More

Funky Divas
Artist: En Vogue
Community Score: 6.58

The 1990s was a time when hip-hop infused with R&B became pop music, and at the forefront of this movement was En Vogue. Their most commercially and critically successful album, Funky Divas, stands as one of the best pop/R&B albums to emerge from that time, incorporating soul, hip-hop, pop, dance, and rock to create one of the era's most... Read More

More of the Night
Artist: The Whispers

More of the Night was the Whispers' debut for Capitol Records after having a string of hits for Dick Griffey's Solar Records. Working with up-and-coming producers, several of the album's tracks are in the new jack swing vein. The Robert Brookins-produced "Innocent" went to number three one the R&B charts in the summer of 1990. Troop's Steve... Read More

I'll Give All My Love to You
Artist: Keith Sweat
Community Score: 8.57

The glut of faceless, interchangeable new jack swing artists plaguing urban contemporary radio in the early '90s served one useful purpose: they reminded you how exciting the originators of the style (Guy, Bobby Brown, and Keith Sweat, among others) could be. When Sweat's overdue sophomore effort, I'll Give All My Love to You, was released in... Read More

Home
Artist: Stephanie Mills

Stephanie Mills majestic voice warrants quality material and production, and this album meets those terms. The first single, if not a ballad then a quiet storm regular, was "Something in the Way You Make Me Feel." While the single is funky and sleek, Mills sultry delivery gives the track that sexy appeal. It landed at the number one spot on the... Read More

Lalah Hathaway
Artist: Lalah Hathaway
Community Score: 6.83

When Lalah Hathaway's self-titled debut album came out in 1990, there was reason to believe that she might evolve into one of the top female R&B singers of the 1990s. Donny Hathaway's daughter certainly had a lot going for her -- not only a big vocal range, but also plenty of charisma, passion, and charm to go with it. The material on this CD... Read More

C.M.B.
Artist: Color Me Badd
Community Score: 7.67

Their debut album includes the hit "I Wanna Sex You Up," which is innovative from an instrumental perspective. ~ Bil Carpenter, All Music Guide Read More

T.E.V.I.N.
Artist: Tevin Campbell
Community Score: 7.00

If T.E.V.I.N. had been recorded by an adult instead of a teenager, the album would still be impressive, but the fact that Tevin Campbell was only 14 years old when this was made makes it all the more amazing. Campbell's voice is remarkably expressive, able to handle both ballads and up-tempo dance tracks without losing confidence. When he has... Read More

The Best of D Train - UNIDISC
Artist: D Train
Community Score: 8.00

The most irritating thing about D Train's best-of is that it favors a remix of "You're the One for Me" over the superior, original album version. Most people have that exact song pop immediately into her or his head whenever the name D Train is brought up, so it's a shame to not have its definitive version available on something designed as a... Read More