Candy Girl (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Candy Girl
Type = Studio album
Artist = New Edition
Background = lightsteelblue


Released = March 15, 1983
Recorded = 1982-1983
Genre = Bubblegum pop/R&B
Label = Streetwise/Warlock
Length = 43:40
Producer = Maurice Starr, Arthur Baker
Reviews = *"Rolling Stone" Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/newedition/albums/album/206590/review/5941821/candy_girl link]
This album = "Candy Girl"
(1983)
Next album = "New Edition"
(1984)

"Candy Girl" is the debut album by New Edition, released on the Streetwise label, in 1983.

Overview

History

The story of New Edition took place in Boston, Massachusetts where each of the five members of the group: lead singers Ralph Tresvant and Bobby Brown and background singers Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe, grew up in the same rough Roxbury projects of the city in the late-1970s. Forming a group just for fun, the group eventually got serious about becoming famous entering talent contests as early as 1980. In late 1982, New Edition participated in a citywide talent showcase where they won second place and won a chance to record for its host, producer Maurice Starr, who took the group under its wing and set to conceive the group as the 1980s version of the wildly popular Motown family group, The Jackson 5. One of the first songs they cut in December 1982 was the title track.

Release and reaction

The single, "Candy Girl", was released to radio in January of 1983. The record was an instant sensation as soon as it was released. An admitted knock-off of the Jackson 5's 1970 hit, "ABC", the song was sung led mostly by fourteen-year-old Ralph, whose high tenor was inspired by Michael Jackson, with alternate leads by Ricky Bell and Bobby Brown to capture off the same vibe that "ABC" did with Michael and brother Jermaine sharing co-lead. The song eventually hit number one on the R&B singles chart. Afterwards, the group finished the album they had worked on and released the album that March. Built off the strength of "Candy Girl" and its subsequent follow-up, "Popcorn Love", "Candy Girl" became a success selling over a million copies and was later certified platinum. The boys from Boston began to make a dent on the charts and throughout their early tenure would never let up. This album spawned four videos (Candy Girl, Popcorn Love, She Gives Me A Bang, Is This The End?).

Legacy

The album's tracks has been covered and sampled endlessly by countless R&B and hip-hop acts over the years. The most notable sampling comes from their breakthrough title track, with its chorus being lifted off recently by the hip-hop group D4L off their hit song, "Laffy Taffy". Another song, "Is This the End?", a modest R&B hit for the band, has also been sampled several times. The Brown-led "Jealous Girl" was covered nearly a decade later by another teen act, Another Bad Creation, who, coincidentally was produced by New Edition rapper/member Michael Bivins.

Track listing

#"Gimme Your Love" (4:15)
#"She Gives Me a Bang" (4:00)
#"Is This the End?" (4:11)
#"Pass the Beat" (4:38)
#"Popcorn Love" (4:52)
#"Candy Girl" (3:54)
#"Ooh Baby" (3:56)
#"Should Never Have Told Me" (4:06)
#"Gotta Have Your Lovin'" (4:50)
#"Jealous Girl" (4:58)

Credits

*Ronnie DeVoe: rap, background vocals
*Bobby Brown: lead and background vocals
*Ricky Bell: lead and background vocals
*Michael Bivins: rap, background vocals
*Ralph Tresvant: lead and background vocals