Coolin' at the Playground Ya Know
Artist: Another Bad Creation
Community Score: 7.83

The formula is all too painfully simple, and equally successful: take young boys and have them singing pop songs with catchy hooks targeted at a pre-teen audience. It's worked since the early evolution of the teen idol. But in the 1980s, Maurice Starr re-ignited the formula and remains unparalleled by anyone in history, brining to the forefront... Read More

Born to Sing
Artist: En Vogue
Community Score: 6.33

The '80s produced countless "three girl and a drum machine"-type acts, but 1990 produced the trendsetting quartet En Vogue (courtesy of producers Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster), who, with their individual vocal skills, sophisticated sense of fashion, sultry videos, and smart singles, went on to become one of the decade's most successful and... Read More

Just for You
Artist: Barry White

With 1970s nostalgia being quite the rage in the early '90s, Mercury set out to cash in on the trend with this three-CD box set by one of the top soul/disco men of that decade. Though three CDs is a bit much for novices (who would be better off with the 1995 single-CD anthology All Time Greatest Hits), more seasoned White devotees will find that... 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

Always in the Mood
Artist: Gerald Alston

Former Manhattans lead vocalist Gerald Alston has emerged as one of the 1990s' best soul and love singers. His passionate, intense leads never lose their steam or conviction, he wisely avoids doing songs with rappers, and he doesn't let production gimmicks and studio trappings overwhelm his vocals. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide 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

The Revival
Artist: Tony! Toni! Toné!
Community Score: 3.50

One of the more distinctive R&B groups of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Tony! Toni! Tone! has managed to appeal to urban contemporary audiences while expressing its love of 1970s soul and funk. As high-tech as things get on its sophomore effort The Revival, the Oakland trio never fails to sound organic and soulful. Funk smokers like "The... 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

Take It to the Floor
Artist: Special Generation

The debut album from the MC Hammer protégés Special Generation produced three single releases. The initial release "Love Me Just for Me" is an easy-flowing single with crossover appeal; however, it rode the Billboard R&B charts for 21 weeks, peaking at number eight. The second release "Spark of Love" is probably the best track from the project.... Read More

Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
Artist: New Edition
Community Score: 8.00

For anyone who missed New Edition in either its Jackson 5 imitation phase or final days as a funkier, more aggressive urban contemporary vocal group with a slight dance influence, this collection contains examples of both incarnations. Kiddie-pop hits such as "Candy Girl," "Cool It Now," and "Mr. Telephone Man" are included, along with their... 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

Very Best of Earth, Wind & Fire
Artist: Earth, Wind & Fire