Ok, so you messed up. You’re past the point of sending flowers, blowing up the phone 10 times a day, and purchasing that “get back” gift. The only option now is- you guessed it- groveling. Thank goodness that New Edition already has you covered. On “Hear Me Out”, the group takes listeners to another level of groveling- past the Gerald Levert croon and all the way to the Keith Sweat beg. Thank goodness that the guys in New Edition make begging sound so good. Revisit this track now- you’ll send me a thank you note later.

“Something About You” is the third single from the groups sixth studio album “Home Again.” Released in 1996, “Home Again” marked the return of Bobby Brown and the first album with he and Johnny Gill recording together. “Home Again” went on to be certified double platinum, with sales of over two million, and became the groups greatest commercial success. I thought “Something About You” was a pretty decent track with Ralph Tresvant singing lead and Bobby co-lead. By the time this single generated steam the bigger news was how the group was falling apart during their reunion tour. After an altercation on stage between Brown and Ronnie DeVoe that brought a halt to a concert, Brown left the tour as did Michael Bivens. That pretty much explains the video for “Something About You.” It was put together with clever editing using old footage from the “Still In Love With You” video that was shot on location at Villa Vizcaya in Miami. The song more than made up for the video which was not all bad considering it was a recycle with no real willing participants.

“Still in Love” is one of those songs that I loved from the first listen. Musicians release tons of singles about looking for love, but it’s nice to have a song that reaffirms an existing love. I love the fact that the lush setting in the video perfectly reflects the smooth, quiet storm sound of this track. What I most appreciate about this song is that if I had a crystal ball in the 1980′s that would predict what type of music a future adult New Edition would make, this is exactly the type of music that I would expect. The track shows both growth and maturity, but still is true to New Edition’s legacy.

What a way to start a Friday! The highly anticipated pairing of all the members of New Edition for the 1996 album Home Again did not disappoint and the track is one of the many reasons why. This is R&B with that mid-decade swing: a big beat with a strong hook and a melody in the verse that focuses more on the rise and fall of the line than a lot of the rhythmic repeated note productions that you hear today.

I had not listened to this in a while a yet it really is as fresh as when I first heard it a few moons ago. I guess I just like my music to have some music in it.