Since Michael Bivins was a part of New Edition, he knew a thing or two about being a member of a young R&B group. Biv’s initial success came with Another Bad Creation, but that group did not last too long for whatever reason. With the help of the group Subway, Bivins attempted to take on the teen market again in the spring of 1995. We all remember “Fire” and how big that song was in our middle school days. However, Subway delivered a quality debut throughout with nine tracks exploring the fusion of soul, rap, and reggae that defines the Chicago scene in 1995. Subway aimed to take their listeners on a journey through the growing Chicago scene back then.
The nineties are largely remembered as a time when vocal groups with dazzling leads and smooth harmony dominated R&B music. However, Eric, Trerail, Roy, and Keith the members of Subway were able to prove that the strength of their music lies in the alliance of four members. Their debut album opens with “Chi-Town Ride,” which features guest vocalists Easy and Tung Twista. It is a nice start before we get three slow jams back to back.
The group’s album features production by Chad “Dr. Ceuss” Elliot and Herb Middleton, who has contributed the tracks (“The Better The Love” and “This Is Not A Goodbye”) that both avoids the characteristic of the R. Kelly-influenced, bump-n-grind new wave of R&B that was sweeping the nation as the time.
There’s no doubt that Subway’s swinging “Get Da Money” is a link to the West Coast scene on the album, and Phat Pocket’s Remix of that song wins the prize as the album’s standout track. We must also mention the tracks produced by late soul legend Gerald Levert (“This Lil’ Game We Play” and “Goodtimes”) that bring about a change of pace, emphasizing Subway’s raw vocal abilities and smooth style in an intriguing way.
Good Times provides a continuous musical flow through the combination of production expertise and raw talent.
Final Grade: B
One of the great things about buying a soundtrack when I was in my DJ prime was discovering a slow jam that I could put on my mix CDs. For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to highlight one of the songs: Jagged Edge’s cover of Air Supply’s, “All Out of Love.”
After twenty-six years in the game, Atlanta-based quartet Jagged Edge is currently on the road celebrating the anniversary of their magnum opus sophomore album, “J.E. Heartbreak,” with a tour titled “An Intimate Evening With Jagged Edge.” To kick off our seventh wedding anniversary celebration, my wife and I will be the D.C. date on the tour this coming Wednesday.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to travel back to 1999 and show some love to R&B group Amyth, which was initially signed to LL Cool J Rock the Bells Records. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the group was formed in 1995 while the members were students at Southern University.