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

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 Night I Fell in Love
Artist: Luther Vandross
Community Score: 8.80

His fourth album under the Epic banner, and Luther Vandross still retains that freshness that is fulfilling to his audience and rightly so. This album spawned four Billboard R&B singles in "'Til My Baby Comes Home," "It's Over Now," "Wait for Love," and "If Only for One Night." However, as superb as these songs are, any one of the remaining... 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

Rock Me Tonight
Artist: Freddie Jackson
Community Score: 9.00

Here on his debut album, Freddie Jackson enjoyed admirable chart success with each of the four singles. The initial single, "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)," was a very rhythmic ballad with an easy-flowing chorus enhanced by some nostalgic lyrics. It hit the Billboard R&B charts in April 1985, and stayed afloat for 26 weeks. The song... 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

Back to Back: Barry White and Isaac Hayes
Artist: Barry White

Barry White wins this dual with Issac Hayes easily. Back to Back contains five of White's biggest hits, and five from the Black Moses; the Hayes sides represent his Polydor works which were not his glory years. Hayes' fares best on remakes of "Don't Let Go," and "It's All in the Game"; the shaft man tracks' appear over produced and slick; known... Read More