After the careers of all of the former
New Edition members stalled in the early '90s, the group reunited in 1996 for
Home Again. All of the original members of the group plus
Bobby Brown's replacement,
Johnny Gill, participated in the reunion, and instead of turning into a gargantuan clash of egos,
Home Again is surprisingly even-handed and consistent. Essentially, the album sounds like it was compiled from the highlights of each member's unreleased solo project -- most of the cuts are very good, with very little filler on the record at all. Granted,
Home Again isn't a cohesive effort; it's pieced together with various producers (Sean "Puffy" Combs, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis,
Gerald LeVert, etc.) and songwriters, but the consistency of the performances makes that issue a minor one. Simply put, none of the members have sounded so fresh since the late '80s. They might not be breaking any new ground on
Home Again, but they prove they can deliver gangsta-inflected hip-hop, smooth soul, and new jack R&B with style. ~ Leo Stanley