Posted on 04/22/2008
Before marriage, divorce, child support, addiction, depression, diet plans, and high school reunions, music fans of the late 80's and early 90's could rely on new jack swing, a style of music that in the last year has been revisited, not only by those who remember it well but by those who only know of it as a sidebar in their or their parents musical history.  There was a time when being an avid music fan meant having the best cassingles for your ride, or making mix tapes that had taken an an entire weekend for you to put together on those hi-pro Maxwell XL-II chrome blanks.  If you remember that time all too well, then you will know each and every song on Gold: New Jack Swing, a fantastic 28 song double CD that, while packed with all of the big hits, serves as only a primer of what new jack swing represented.

 

    The CD is a part of Hip-O Records' Gold series of compilations, and at least someone knew that it would be best to do this as a double disc.  The style of music came about at the right time: rap music was at an all time high, and soul/R&B as we knew it had one foot in the Minneapolis sound, the other foot in the fancy free times of the early 80's.  It was stagnant, and some of the young producers decided that if rap could borrow from classic soul and funk in order for it to be appreciated by new ears, why not do the same.  What it also did in return was shine the spotlight on the attitude of rap music, and a unique musical hybrid was born.  Keith Sweat's "I Want Her" and Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid" felt like an uprising, it was footloose and fancy free like the music of yesteryear, but it felt modern, it felt now, it felt like it was "mine" and "yours".  But when Guy's "Groove Me" was released, it was as if record buyers were witnessing (and hearing) the start of a musical revolution.  It was nothing more than a funky beat with James Brown and Mohawks samples chopped, no one knew or cared that Teddy Riley didn't actually play that main keyboard melody.  When Aaron Hall sang the words "when I get you home tonight/thing is gonna be alright/girl just you and I, hey let's recognize, true love/hey girl I am, in a romantic mood, singing ooh/won't you groove me?", it made you want to drop everything that you were doing, slap on that black Public Enemy T-shirt, and discover what it meant to groove (whether you were a professional or an amateur).  It was honor and pride for the music they were playing and singing about, and true to the song, the party was not over.

    With the inclusion of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" and Today's "Him Or Me", it should come as no surprise that the first five songs on Gold: New Jack Swing is dedicated to the production of Teddy Riley.  In time, the new jack swing would find its way to the music of El DeBarge and Al Green, whose remix of "As Long As We're Together" (remixed by Al B. Sure!) appears here.  In time it would be recognized by rap music as well, where the overweight lover Heavy D. joined up with Al B. Sure! for "Somebody For Me".  Hearing the chorus in Today's "Why You Get Funky On Me" (from the House Party soundtrack) will bring back a lot of fond memories, but so will Tony! Toni! Toné "Feels Good" and Father MC's "Treat Them Like They Want To Be Treated", the latter featuring a young vocal group named Jodeci, who appear here with one of the best songs they ever released, "Come And Talk To Me".  The CD goes through the era well with tracks from Boyz II Men ("Motownphilly"), Johnny Gill ("Rub You The Right Way"), Bell Biv DeVoe ("Poison"), Ralph Tresvant ("Sensitivity"), Joe ("I'm In Luv"), En Vogue ("Hold On") and Wreckx-N-Effect ("New Jack Swing" and "Rump Shaker").

    In time, new jack swing would fade away from the mainstream but not without leaving behind a huge impact.  By R&B embracing the funk and soul of the past, it was able to bridge the gap (both musical and generational) it had with rap, and by doing so, both genres were able to borrow from each other without regret, something which still contines today.  While some of new jack swing's stars would fade into the background (Today's Fred "Big Bubba" Drakeford would work with Mary J. Blige and contribute background vocals to her classic My Life album), those who were part of the background would slowly make their way to the spotlight, including one Pharrell Williams, who wrote some of the raps in "Rump Shaker".  When SWV had "Anything" remixed for an EP, it included a few rappers for a group who were slowly blowing up, the Wu-Tang Clan.  Hearing Ol' Dirty Bastard bring in the new Shaolin party and Method Man paraphrasing SWV's old songs came off like a passing of the torch, even if that wasn't the intention.  The new soul arguably gave hip-hop its melodic touch, moving away from just dropping rhymes over worn out copies of James Brown B-sides or Ultimate Breaks & Beats.  By being a simple updated variation of what came before, soul music renewed itself once again, at least for those who felt the music had taken a quiet storm sleep with Freddie Jackson and Gregory Abbott.

    Fans of the music have always demanded the correct versions of the songs, whether it was the one on the 45, the cassingle, or the video.  While the CD does indicate which versions are used, compilations Donald Cleveland and Harry Weinger did not go out of their way to find out which mixes are preferred.  It is nice to hear the 7 inch version (for you young kids, that's a 7 inch record spinning at 45 rpm, the one with the big hole) of "Rub You The Right Way" and the version of "I'm In Luv" that appeared on the cassingle, but some of the 12 inch mixes, as good as they are, seem a bit wasteful and time consuming.  The album mix of "Groove Me", with a fade out, was used instead of the single/video edit of "Groove Me" with the intro and proper cold ending.  For Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up" they used the version that was on the New Jack City soundtrack album, not the hit single version that had a completely different set of lyrics.  The version of "Hold On" removes Terry Ellis' vocal intro and has an extended fade, what made a lot of people take notice to the group was that acapella intro. Omissions are plenty, it would have been nice to have heard Christopher Williams' "I'm Dreamin'" (particuarly the version without the rap), or even the Teddy Riley remix of Jane Child's "Don't Wanna Fall In Love".  For the most part, Gold: New Jack Swing is a great collection that will not only make listeners remember where they were when these songs were released, but hopefully for a new generation they will discover something.  In the words off hip-hop prophet Antonio Hardy, it's okay to be subtle and smooth, making it possible for fans of all ages to not be excluded by good party music without having to go to the extreme.

- John Book