Finely Crafted R&B.

Review Score: (10/10)
Having matured beyone their "Candy Girl" phase and before lapsing into self-parody 8 years later, New Edition turned in this fine set of hooked filled, funky and enjoyable set of tunes to a waiting world and the results were an instant smash. The addition of Singer (the term 'vocalist'doesn't do him justice) Johnny Gill gave the group a new, vibrant and adult sound that perfectly matched Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' innovative production. The entire group shines on this set from the great intro (a wonderful live onstage intro including crowd noises that continue all the way through the opener "That's The Way We're Livin'")to the big hits and stellar LP tracks like the 3 part title cut, "Crucial", "Competition" and my personal fave "Boys To Men", featuring a great lead by Gill. While there are moments of general silliness and interludes that don't work to the album's advantage, this is a truly consistent LP with hardly any filler or weak tracks. "N.E. Heartbreak" is a modern soul classic.

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