The two-disc
Gold is somewhat like 2004's
Hits and 1996's
New Edition Solo Hits combined into one package, albeit with some updating. Rather than separate the group hits from the solo hits, it runs in chronological order. So, for instance,
Bobby Brown's
"Don't Be Cruel" and
"My Prerogative" come after
"If It Isn't Love" and before
"Can You Stand the Rain," and
Bell Biv DeVoe's
"Poison" falls between
Brown's
"On Our Own" and
Johnny Gill's
"Rub You the Right Way." While each member had significant success away from the group -- either solo or with
Bell Biv DeVoe -- the link to
New Edition was always intrinsic, so the compilation does play out like a thorough history of
New Edition from 1984 through 1997. That means, unfortunately, that the hits from 1983's
Candy Girl (
"Candy Girl," "Is This the End," "Jealous Girl," "Popcorn Love") are missing, which was likely a rights issue (the album came out on
Warlock, before
MCA saw the horizon of platinum and snapped up the group). Despite that problem,
Gold is a convenient way to obtain some of the best
R&B singles of the '80s and early '90s, whether in the form of
ballads (
"Can You Stand the Rain," "When Will I See You Smile Again"), laid-back strutters (
"Sensitivity," "Don't Be Cruel," the
Ray Parker, Jr.-written
"Mr. Telephone Man"), or party jams (
"Poison," "Cool It Now," "Rub You the Right Way"). In a rather ironic twist, the members' hits outside the group have held up a lot better than the ones they recorded while in it.
"If It Isn't Love" at least shows where
Ronnie,
Johnny,
Ricky,
Mike, and
Ralph really turned a corner and became something more than a boy band. That song, more than any other selection here, bundles up everything that was good about
New Edition (as well as producers
Jimmy Jam and
Terry Lewis) into four minutes. ~ Andy Kellman
