New Edition

About New Edition

New Edition started in Boston in 1978 when a group of kids from the Orchard Park Projects decided they could sing. Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, and Ralph Tresvant were all in middle school. They lost a talent show to New York at first, then came back and won, which got them noticed by producer Maurice Starr. He saw an opportunity to create something like a younger Jackson 5.

Their self-titled debut came out in 1983 when most of them were still teenagers. "Candy Girl" became the song everyone knew, hitting number one on the R&B charts. It had that bubblegum soul sound that worked for their age, but it also showed they could actually sing. The problem was Starr owned most of their money and creative control. By 1984, they'd fired him and signed with MCA Records, bringing in producers who would let them grow up a bit.

This is where it gets interesting. They brought in Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for "New Edition" in 1984, which gave them "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man." The sound was sharper, more Minneapolis than Boston. Then Bobby Brown got kicked out in 1985 for being difficult, which probably saved his solo career and forced the group to evolve. They replaced him with Johnny Gill, whose voice was deeper and more adult than what they'd been working with.

"Heart Break" in 1988 might be their best album. Jam and Lewis produced most of it, and you can hear the group figuring out how to be grown men instead of teen idols. "If It Isn't Love" had that new jack swing edge. The whole album sounded like what R&B was about to become in the nineties.

Then they all went solo. Ralph Tresvant had "Sensitivity." Bobby Brown became massive with "My Prerogative" and "Every Little Step." Bell Biv DeVoe made "Poison," which somehow worked despite being completely ridiculous. Johnny Gill did his thing with ballads. They proved you could break up a group and have everyone succeed, at least for a while.

They've reunited multiple times since, with varying lineups and varying levels of success. "Home Again" in 1996 brought all six members together, which was a bigger deal than the album itself. They've done tours, a BET miniseries, some nostalgia runs. The Vegas residencies happened.

The thing about New Edition is they were a template. Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys, all those groups studied what they did. They figured out how to transition from teen pop to adult R&B, how to incorporate new jack swing before it had a name, how to survive member changes. Most of them are still performing in some capacity, either together or solo, doing the thing they started when they were twelve.

People scream through every song they've ever heard. It's less a concert and more a singalong where the audience knows every word and harmony. The energy peaks during the late-80s material. Surprisingly tight for a group that's reunited and broken up multiple times.

Known for Under the Blue Moon, If It Isn't Love, Heart Break, Cool It Now, Boys to Men

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