New Edition "Heartbreak" Review (1988)

The members of New Edition found themselves at a series of crossroads when the Heart Break album was conceived and recorded in 1988. After making their debut in 1983 with “Candy Girl”, the group had established themselves as one of the most successful R&B acts of its generation. However, barely a half-decade later, internal turmoil and changing musical tastes left the ground they were dancing on a bit shaky.

In case you haven’t watched one of the many interviews or you missed the BET mini-series, here’s a quick refresher of the drama: founding member Bobby Brown was expelled from the group in late 1985. The remaining members carried on as a foursome, releasing an album of ‘50s covers in 1986. Though moderately successful, that album (Under the Blue Moon) was woefully out of touch with anything happening in youth-oriented R&B music at the time, although it had the benefit of getting the group out of an onerous production deal. Meanwhile, lead singer Ralph Tresvant began to get the urge to pursue a solo career. Hedging their bets, MCA exec Jheryl Busby and/or business-minded NE member Michael Bivins) recruited Johnny Gill (who was already three albums deep into a middling solo career) as a potential replacement. Gill’s presence would not only allow New Edition to continue with a “name” in Ralph’s role, but Gill’s recruitment was also very likely a maneuver meant to mature the group’s sound. As the story goes, Ralph (who hadn’t fully made the commitment to leave) showed up at pre-production sessions for Heart Break completely unaware that Johnny had been recruited to replace him (common sense dictates that this is probably not the way things actually happened, but we live in a post-truth world so let’s go with that). As luck would have it, an incredibly awkward situation ended up turning into a creative and commercial triumph.

How’d New Edition stick the landing? A good chunk of the credit has to go with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Fresh off of the surprising success of Janet Jackson’s Control, the Minneapolis-based duo positioned themselves at the cutting edge of popular music. In addition to their superior musicianship and their previous experience helping a teen act get over the hump into adult respectability, the relationship Jimmy and Terry built with the artists they worked with allowed for the artist’s thoughts and personality to be worked into the songs. And NE had some scores to settle. So Heart Break doesn’t just knock, it’s a tailor-made mission statement. 

From the outset, NE aimed to work hip-hop swagger into a more traditional R&B sound (arguably the first act to do so), and Heart Break was recorded and released just as those two genres were beginning to merge into what would ultimately be termed “new jack swing”. Tracks like “Where It All Started” and “N.E. Heartbreak” seamlessly combine new-school production and attitude with old-school melodies. Along with albums by Al B. Sure!, Keith Sweat, Guy and their homeboy Bobby (whose Don’t Be Cruel was released the same day and turned into a blockbuster), Heart Break helped usher a youth movement into soul music without sacrificing the fundamentals. “If It Isn’t Love” has a melody that winks sideways at the Jackson Five, while the immortal “Can You Stand the Rain” and “I’m Comin’ Home” are quiet storm slow jams cut from the classic mode. 

The success of Heart Break was qualitative (good reviews and a successful jump from child act to adult act) and quantitative (multi-platinum sales, 5 top 20 R&B singles). It also set the stage for the next phase in New Edition’s career. By the time the group reconvened (plus Bobby) eight years later to record Heart Break’s follow up, each group member had experienced a level of solo success commensurate with (or surpassing) that of New Edition itself. With all of that in mind, it’s not hard to see that Heart Break was not merely a successful album, but a piece of work that changed the course of R&B itself.