DECONSTRUCTING BOBBY: The Story of Modern R&B's Lost Album
In 1988, Don’t Be Cruel hit the record industry like Halley’s Comet, and for a brief moment in time Bobby Brown was R&B’s new king. Cruel's success established the former New Edition member as a viable commercial act. The album followed in the footsteps of Michael Jackson’s trilogy of ground-breaking long players Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad —albums that rocked back to back with no filler. Like Off The Wall , Cruel was Brown’s triumphant coming-out party. Just as Thriller was Jackson’s crowning moment, Cruel was Brown’s greatest success, catapulting him into a global superstar and Jackson’s possible heir apparent . While all roads leading to Jackson-like comparisons seem far fetched in 2014, twenty-six years ago, Brown’s career was off to a great start. Cruel bested producer Quincy Jones’ attempt to craft a tougher sound for Bad. The commercial appeal of the third installment of the...