New Edition

A mixed bag ranging from the sexy to the bubblegum, Lost in Love looks back on some of the ballads and slow jams that New Edition members recorded from 1984-1996. To say that members of the R&B/pop group evolved radically during that 12-year period would be an understatement. The CD gets off to a very bubblegum start on early numbers like "Lost in Love" and "With You All the Way" (both of which are way too sappy for their own good), but one hears an edgier, more mature New Edition on "Boys to Men" (which the group Boyz II Men named itself after) and "Can You Stand the Rain" (both of which Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis produced for 1989's Heart Break). Some of the album's best offerings are songs New Edition members recorded apart from the group, including Bell Biv DeVoe's "When Will I See You Smile Again" and Bobby Brown's 1988 hits "Roni" and "Rock Wit'Cha." One curious omission is the 1984 smash "Mr. Telephone Man," and where's Johnny Gill's "My My My"? Lost in Love is hardly the last word on ballads by New Edition members, and it would be a mistake to think that everything on the CD is great. Nonetheless, this is a generally enjoyable collection that contains more pluses than minuses. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide