Customer Reviews

Troop

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great CD. I remember singing Mamacita and My Heart when I was in the 9th grade back in high school. Those songs were the hit of the day back in 1988. I now have both of Troops CDs 12 years later and I enjoy playing them over and over again. I highly recommend this Troop CD for all of the R&B music collectors like my self.

Back in my late teens Troop had just come out with their debut self-titled album. Troop was a great smooth R&B/new jack group. This tape was a great tape to have back in the day. "Mamacita" & "Still In Love" was one of the bigger hits from this CD. However, my favorites were "My Heart" (still a jam) and "She's My Favorite Girl". Troop became much better known with their next album "Attitude" but "Troop" is still one of my favorite and still played CDs. Under-rated & slept on group.

I was actually in 7th grade when I first heard this tape. It reminds me of back in the days when I had my first boyfriend. This album is what you call "good" music. It's old school.

In the summer of 88 New Edition was killing the music industry with their Heartbreak album, Troop kind of snuck into the Music Industry in my opinion with this CD and while the group had storng production and hit singles in the form of Mamcaita, My Heart and Still In Love the CD went largely unnoticed. I recently gave this CD another listen and Troop was a pretty smooth group, the three lead singles are all hot and Young Girl is a very smooth ballad.

Basically, there three tracks on this album that are stellar, and guess what? You guessed it, they are tracks #1, #2, and #3. "Mamacita" is the first track, and that was a hit (I understand) when it was released in 1988, the second is "My Heart", a solid mid-80's Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis-esque track (produced by Chuckii Booker - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour Music Director) that is better than "Mamacita" in my opinion. But it's "Still In Love (Romeo and Juliet)" that is the real winner of a ballad on this album...pure quiet storm R&B that should be remade. It really should...

The rest of this album is a dated and somewhat painful listen. "Young Girl" is the only other song that I'll listen to nowadays because it stills sounds okay, and DeVante's line from 1992's Jodeci classic "Stay" came from this song...you know the line, "don't talk, just listen"...betcha didn't know that huh?

Anyhow, 'Attitude', Troop's second album from 1989 is way better (think "Spread My Wings", and "All I Do Is Think Of You"), and their 1992 third album 'Deepa' (which is now hard to find) was horribly underrated, but still decent - better than this one...that album's biggest hit was "Sweet November"... ...

I still can't get enough of this group. I saw them perform in Tallahassee Fl and in Albany GA. I was hooked. How I wish they could have continued making beautiful music with meaning. The groups of today can't touch their talent. Troop is in a class all their own and I still think they were and still are my favorite group. I wish them well in their lives and I hope one day they will perform heir hits for me once more.

THE FIRST TIME I HEARD TROOP WAS ON MY FREINDS TAPE PLAYER. IT WAS THEIR VERY FIRST RELEASE ON AUDIO TAPE. EVEN ON A CHEAP TAPE PLAYER, THE MUSIC WAS ON POINT (GOOD DANCE MUSIC) AND THE SINGING WAS CRISP AND TIGHT. WHEN I FINALLY HEARD IT IN A PROPER SOUND SYSTEM, I WAS DONE. I STILL LIKE TROOP TO THIS DAY. THEY DIDN'T GET MUCH AIR PLAY ON THE RADIO BUT YOU CAN'T SLEEP ON THEM. EVEN NOW GROUPS TODAY DON'T ACTUALY PERFORM AND SING WELL. TROOP COULD DO IT ALL! FROM THEIR FASHION STYLE, TO THEIR DANCING, TO THEIR SINGING, TROOP MADE YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THEM. I REMEMBER YOU TROOP, YOU'RE SOME BAD BOYS!

I remember when Troop's first album had 3 hits, especially the ultra funky Mamacita, My Heart and the gorgeous, smooth ballad Still In Love. But this was the setting point for their better selling second effort. The rest of the songs are just as strong and the group has some strong vocals and harmonies. While Gerald Levert and his handlers produced this effort, Steve Russell would later produce the group's songs on later albums, giving Troop some more creativity. Troop's album came when New Edition's Heartbreak was a huge hit, but they gave NE some stiff competition musically with this effort. One of 1988's overlooked albums, but worth listening to again.

At a time when new jack ensembles such as Guy, Bobby Brown, and Al B. Sure were enjoying unprecedented mainstream success with their releases, Troop didn't catch hold of the popular audience until their second release, but they were still well represented in the urban community on their debut.

The first three tracks ("Mamacita" (Levert-produced), "My Heart" (Chuckii Booker-produced), "Still In Love") are the gems, especially the quiet storm-esque "Still In Love". Perfect harmony accompanied by picturesque production, it's the ideal slow jam of the late '80s. Other notable tracks includes the energetic "Happy Relationship" and the soothing "Young Girl".

Save for an unconvincing lead vocalist, troop captured the new jack sound while it was still at its beginning stages. Their debut showed promise, but it wasn't a smash. Their sophomore release would be their breakthrough album, but there are still enough solid tracks on this set to merit a purchase. And given this is their debut, their novel lyrics and amateur harmony is forgiveable.

I LOVE TROOP FIRST ALBUM. I WAS IN THE 10TH GRADE WHEN IT CAME OUT.I STILL THINK TROOP IS THE BOMB. I LOVE ALL THE SONGS ON THEIR FIRST ALBUM. THEIR JUST GOOD PERFORMERS.I WILL ALWAYS LOVE TROOP.