Customer Reviews

Home Again

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

New Edition waited a decade to release a reunion album with all six members, but the wait was well worth it. They sought the help of producers Puff Daddy and Jermaine Dupri to handle the hip-hop grooves, but it was former N.E. Heartbreak producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis that made this album reach it's highest points. "I'm Still In Love With You" and "One More Day" were by far the smoothest and most powerful of the tracks showing Jam and Lewis' unparalled writing abilities at their best as well as showing Ralph Tresvant and Ricky Bell's matured harmonizing skills. I only wish Jam and Lewis had written and produced a few more tracks on the album. A lot of conflict surrounded New Edition when they attempted there reunion because of Bobby Brown's tiresome mis-haps and his dissing the group, but that took nothing away from the quality of the album. All in all, New Edition "Home Again" was a great album and I only hope they will reunite again one day because they are one of the greatest R&B groups of all time.

The Heart Break album was an R&B classic, don't get me wrong. But Home Again was a New Edition album that has been coming for years. The best part about this album is that Bobby, Ricky, and Johnny have all had success outside of the group, and are no longer content to let Ralph carry the majority of the leads. On this album, N.E. comes across as more of a group, rather than "Ralph Tresvant and the Pips." Everyone is in top form for this album, but they could have chosen different producers(Levert & Dupri were not needed), or just had Jam & Lewis do another song or two. Ralph, as always, is in top form on this one. Bobby Brown returns, and gives the album his own attitude, charisma, and energy. His voice is 50 times stronger now than when he left the group. Ricky, while still incredibly nasily, shows potential (the end of "I'm Still In Love With You"). Johnny gill, while not given enough spotlight, sang just enough to let people know who is still the top dog in this collective. The man is untouchable. Ron and Mike are full blown rappers now, and I'm glad that they've found a way to have a voice in the group, not being strong singers.

This album is incredible, and should not be missed. The song "Home Again' is enough to buy this album alone!(The note Johnny hits on the bridge in his chest voice is stunning.) N.E. remains one of the best groups of all time, and now, everyone can shine.

And even better to have a group like New Edition still doing their thing together despite all of the things going on with other groups. They've been in the music business for more years than i can count and the guys still know how to bring it home in their songs. From the first song "Oh Yeah, It Feels So Good" we have all the members explaining to everyone how great it is to be back and doing what they love. Ronnie has a significant part in this song with two parts rapping and singing as well as Mike along with Ricky, Bobby and Johnny on the singing. On "Hit Me Off" one of several hits off the album, the guys come back with a more hip hop flavored song taking a sample from the Black Moon song "I Got Cha Opin" and using it well with rap verses by Ronnie and Ricky on this one as well with Ricky, Bobby, Johnny and Ralph coming in as well. Then comes "You Don't Have to Worry" written by P. Diddy, Heavy D and the boys from 112. They give NE a different feel on this song and they work it well also contains a sample from the James Brown song "Your Love" vocals by Bobby and rap by Ronnie and Mike. "Tighten It Up" is worked on nicely by Jermaine Dupri also written by him along with Ricky Bell and a rap verse by Ronnie and Mike with vocals by Bobby, Ricky and Ralph. "Shop Around" is basically about a guy wanting to go have a look around when it comes to getting with a woman and its cool. because they handle the song well written again by JD along with Johnny, Ralph and Michael with vocals by Johnny, Ralph, Ricky and Bobby. "Hear Me Out" is a slow burner about him apologizing for hurting the woman that he's with because of what he did. Its written by Dinky Bingham, Geo Washington and Mike Bivins with vocals by Mike (spoken), Ricky, Johnny, Bobby and Ralph.

"Something About You" is a cool song (although not really one of my favs on the album) but its written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with Lead vocals by Ralph and Bobby also contains a sample from Edie Brickell's song "What I Am" with vocals by Ralph. "Try Again" is more uptempo song than previous efforts and i find myself enjoying more each time i listen to it. Has a sample from the Slick Rick song "Lick the Balls" and written by P. Diddy, Chucky Thompson and Harvey Frierson. Its about wanting to restart a relationship with someone you've moved on from in the past with vocals by Bobby, Ricky and Ralph. "How Do Like Your Love Served" asks the upfront question of how do you want to be pleased that's how i took it and it's written by Gerald Levert and Edwin Nicholas. Its another strong slow jam for me from the guys vocals by Ronnie (spoken), Ricky, Johnny and Ralph. Then comes one of my favorite New Edition songs since "Can You Stand the Rain". "One More Day" we all know what the song is about. its wanting to spend another moment with that special someone that you don't want to leave. Its written rather nicely by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (once again) and Lead Vocals by Ricky along with Ralph as well. The video is nice as well nothing over the top or anything. "I'm Still In Love With You" another slow song that is right in there with other of my favorite songs. Written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis we have Ricky and Ralph handling the lead vocal reins on this song as well with great results. Its just about a person being in love with someone despite them not being together and that those feelings won't fade away no matter how much time passes by.

I'm not really big on Interludes on albums for the most part they do nothing for me. But "Thank You (The JG Interlude)" is done well and its all handled with class and precision by Johnny Gill (one more reason why New Edition is and will always be one of the best groups out there). He's giving thanks for all the blessings and rewards that he and the group have achieved together over the years. the last song "Home Again" does just that bringing everything home and back to where it started for the group it shows how they've grown over the years and continue to even now vocals by Ralph, Bobby, Johnny, Ricky and Mike (spoken).

Its a fitting end song to altogether great CD from my favorite group out there. Nuff respect, New Edition knows how to get done and does it with precision regardless of what the brief amazon review says.

"Home Again" is classic NE material.

I remember the first time I heard this album when it came out 10 years ago, listening to it now after I haven't listened to it for a while brings back some great memories, I was a young man at the time and I enjoyed the rhythms of the songs but really these songs have a deeper meaning to me now that I'm more grown and going through relationships, songs like "How Do You Like Your Love Served?", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Shop Around", and "Home Again" have so much soul to them, you got all the members of New Edition, Ronnie, Bobby, Ralph, Ricky, Mike, and Johnny on here that got so much chemistry together throughout this album, and with production from Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Puffy Daddy(now known as Diddy), Heavy D(yes he's a hell of a producer too besides a great rapper, he produced on Beanie Siegel's last big hit if I'm not mistaken), and now the late great Gerald Levert(god bless that talented brother, I'm gonna have to review some more of his music when I get a chance) you can't really go wrong, if you're a fan of that real soul music with that hip-hop funk then this album is for you, it's a classic record, it has an even deeper meaning to me because this is how I was became interested in this group, they've made a lot of classics in their careers, solo and in group efforts(BBD and basically most of them releasing solo albums), much love to the NE fam, keep that music coming fellas

Okay: if you think that this album is bad, then you do not like, nor know a thing about R&B. This is the real deal, on this outing N.E. come with it, no shorts, no frills, just homemade ingredients. I mean come on, they even give us a chance to see why B.Brown even had a recording career to begin with. He even stands up straight and just blows his guts out,he comes off like a modern day Davin Ruffin (oh Im sorry, he was in the Temptations), and don't even talk about Johnny Gill, when this guys sings it feels as if a plane is passing over head. He sounds like a later day Teddy,(uhhhhhhh! he was huge in the late 70s early 80s, go through the crates man!!) then they do the very thing that makes perfect music sense here. They push Ricky Bell up front on a few tracks,to give us more of the magic that he came with as the Bell in BBD. This reunion was well worth the wait. Just good R&B. I know who has any use for that these days.

Peace:
The*Hot*Wax*Kid

I've always been a New Edition fan, but I must admit I was skeptical when I heard they were making a reunion album. Most groups fall flat on their faces when trying to recapture the spark and flair that took them to greatness in the first place.

I didn't buy this album until 2 months after it came out, only after I heard my aunt's copy. But, my fears were unfounded. I was especially impressed with the way that all of them (including Bobby and Johnny) meshed with each other, and no one overshadowed another. Songwriter-Producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were made for NE, as they demonstrated perfectly on their previous album, 1988's "Heartbreak". That they could bring back the same touch after 8 years is amazing. Jermaine Dupri brung a little pimp bounce with "Tighten It Up" that I never would have expected from him. Puffy Combs even blazed a little something on "Try Again". I loved the way he and Chucky Thompson freaked the Slick Rick sample. But my favorite track has to be "One More Day". It simultaneously conjures up images of Shangri-La, chilling on the beach in Malibu, or in the south of France with your girl on your arm. It's one of the best love jams I've heard in a while.

It saddened me to hear that NE broke up again after making this album. They've left behind a great legacy. Much more than a "boy group", they've proven time and time again to be a formidable force in modern pop music. They truly are "Boys to Men".

Come back, brothers. We need you.

There sure was a lot of hoopla when this album dropped in 1996. New Edition had reunited after a near decades absense from the record racks. During the time they'd been absent of course Bobby Brown,Johnny Bill and the spinoff group Bell Biv Devoe had all been hugely successful at mining the R&B sound of the era and making the groove work for them on every level. The interesting part is that this is a comeback album that finds the group in a state of transition. It was deeper than any personal thing. During 1996 the sound of new jack swing to which they'd belonged for some time was starting to be shunted aside as a new type of hip-hop based R&B was slowly worming it's way into the musical subconcious of the people. This new type of music was slower,funkier and more organically fasioned than the music pioneered by Teddy Riley and LA Reid half a decade earlier. The one place where this album is inpeccable and nearly flawless is in the vocal department. Brown and Gill trade off vocal licks in the classic Motown/Chicago soul tradtion and the combintion of vulnerability,swagger and sexuallity comes off on every cut. Musically it's another matter. Bringing in the talents of Jam & Lewis,Gerald LeVert,the man now known as Diddy (Sean Puffy Combs then) and the relatively knew Jermaine Dupri along with themselves we're already dealing with four very individual and powerful production teams here. James Brown funk samples abound of course there is of course a strong pimping/mack daddy orientation to the lyrics and the music and with proper care "Oh Yeah,It Feels So Good","Tighten It Up","Hear Me Out" and the like could've been outright ingenious. The trouble is the actually songwriting of those three tunes and most of what else is here is rather bland and pressed out for the most part:melodically,harmonically and rhythmically the songs tend to have all too similar a structure-to the point where they start to sound kind of like remixes by the time you get halfway through. The interesting part is that also because of the heavy soul stew of the producers,the tapestry of vocals and the sound just mentioned this actually is one of the New Edition records that comes close to being a genuine album as opposed to an album stringing together singles. The two strongest tunes are "Hit Me Off",a darkly sexual funk groove with some of the best vocal arrangements on the album and the fact that you also get several of those on this one song adds to the sensual excitment. The closing Jam/Lewis produced title epic title track the group use a strong double meaning lyric that could easily be romantic but also reflects the group's earlier disbanding and reunion. The nice darkness and light style of the gospelish outro adds a certain uncertainty as well. New Edition were even at this point in the throws of change and while this album is not all it might've been it's more than an decent comeback.

Let's be honest with ourselves. New Edition mopped the for with New Kids On The Block. They also mop the floor with N'Sync, 98 Degrees and B2K. They revolutionized boy groups so you have to give them their respect. Plus they can sing, these cornball groups nowadays cant. After years they come back with an album that shows you why they were a force to be reckoned with.

Hit Me Off and You Dont Have To Worry were good singles that show that NE can hold their own with fast records. But singles like One More Day and Still In Love With You show you that what New Edition excels in: love jams. You would look in vain to find a boy group that would would make songs like One More Day and Still In Love With You but you will find a lot of Bump,Bump,Bumps and cheesetastic trash like I Want It That Way. Shop Around and Hear Me Out are pretty decent slow songs but How Do You Like Your Love Served(despite the corny title)is one of the best slow songs on this album.

There are little missteps but not many. Try Again which badly samples Slick Rick's Lick The ----- falls flat. Tighten It Up is not bad but its not a notable track by NE. Other than that the album is very good.

New Edition's Home Again is one of the best comeback albums from an R&B group from years. They still have harmony among the group members and the songs have strong replay value despite a few missteps. Definitely recommended to New Edition fans.

Standouts: OH YEAH IT FEELS SO GOOD, HIT ME OFF, YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY, HEAR ME OUT, SOMETHING ABOUT YOU, HOW DO YOU LIKE YOU LOVE SERVED, ONE MORE DAY, I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU and HOME AGAIN.

...after 1984's New Edition and 1988's Heart Break. This album showed that New Edition could grow up with their sound. I still like the funky Hit Me Off. The group actually sounds good with Bobby Brown back for this time. Brown just steals the show on the ones with Johnny Gill singing lead, but lets Ralph Tresvant sing his buttery smooth vocals. And Ricky Bell, Ronnie Devoe and Michael Bivins contribute a lot to this album. Biv continues to do his macked out raps on some songs. I liked the offerings that P Diddy produced, such as You Don't Have To Worry. And they sound nice on ballads like I'm Still In Love with You and How Do You Like Your Love Served. Offerings from Jam and Lewis, Jermaine Dupri, Gerald Levert and Edwin Nicholas, and others help bring the group up to date. This album surprisingly had several hits, proving that NE was just as competitive as Boyz II Men who were already a popular group at the time.

I bought this CD back in 1996 when it first came out. As an avid music listener and enthusiast, this still is my favorite CD almost 10 years later. Every single track is great; this is THE only CD I can listen to--start to finish--without skipping a track. Lots of upbeat, catchy songs and a few slow jams to even things out. Amazing. I'd also recommend City High's CD.