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
I’ve always been a fan of Eric Bellinger. My admiration stems not only from the records he has released under his own name but also from the impressive career he built behind the scenes. Long before casual R&B listeners recognized his face, they were already familiar with his songwriting through tracks he penned for artists like Chris Brown, Usher, Justin Bieber, and Wale.
As many of you know, I had the opportunity to visit Paisley Park earlier this week while vacationing in Minnesota. During the tour, our guide shared that an expanded edition of Prince’s album “Parade” is expected to be released to celebrate its 40th anniversary. After spending the day exploring the Twin Cities, it felt like the perfect excuse to revisit one of the most fascinating and underrated albums in Prince’s legendary catalog.
One of the reasons I’ve always considered Prince to have the edge over Michael Jackson is his remarkable collection of ballads and