Following the lukewarm response of his debut solo album King of Stage in 1986, teen idol Bobby Brown was at his crossroads in his career. While his former bandmates New Edition had linked up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to oversee production on their Heartbreak album, Brown elected to work with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid. L.A. and Babyface were already making a name for themselves in music, so it was a brainer to work with them. In May 1988, Brown released “Don’t Be Cruel,” the first single from his same-titled sophomore album.
Music historians liken the song to Janet Jackson’s “Control” as it showcased a maturing artist coming into his own. From the opening instrumentation moments of the song to the moment Bobby sings the first note, he displays confidence well beyond his age of 18 when he recorded the song. L.A. and Babyface, with additional writing by Daryl Simmons, provided Brown with a song that has a man pursuing a woman who isn’t interested in his games.
Don’t Be Cruel was the beginning of a successful atop-the-charts run for Brown and one of his most notable songs. Thirty-three years later, the song still sounds fresh, and I can’t help but smile every time Brown does his rap in the song.
Final Grade: A
Don’t Be Cruel is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.
Reviews And Dunn is a unique blog showcasing all things cinema, music & theater.