Bell Biv DeVoe
Poison

Release Date: 1990 | Tracklist

The early 1990’s was an awkward time for popular music. As the musical fads of the late 80’s were slowly fading away, there really wasn’t a band or sound to lead the 90’s movement until Nirvana came around and defined a generation. This leaves the short period of 1990-1991 where silly gimmicks thrived and acts like Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer were some of the biggest stars on the planet. However, while many of these fads are laughably bad in hindsight, there is one thing that can still be considered quality even today: new jack swing. Defined by its use of drum machines, synthesizers, and hip hop influence, new jack swing had that certain groove that you can’t help but enjoy; and it was HUGE. Almost every hip hop/ R&B hit during this time was influenced by new jack swing in some kind of way. Even Michael Jackson, the king of pop himself, jumped on the bandwagon, with his 1991 album ‘Dangerous’ being heavily influenced by the subgenre. One of the most famed new jack swing tracks is the 1990 hit “Poison” from none other than Bell Biv Devoe, famed one hit wonders who honestly deserved at least a bit more credit than they’ve been given.

If there’s one thing that’s for certain, it’s that Bell Biv Devoe know their boundaries. The majority of the tracks on here stick to the basics of new jack swing: drum machines, samples, synths, and a groovy bassline. While this leaves tracks feeling a bit too similar to each other, the album is very focused. There is still some variety in here, and moments when the formula is played around with are pulled off quite well, such as “Ain’t Nut’in Changed!”’s more frantic, unpredictable use of samples and the extra instrumentation in the album closer “I Do Need You”, including saxophone and some piano work at the back of the track. In the end, the album achieves what it aims to do: makes you move your feet. “Poison”, “Dope!”, “Let Me Know Something?!” and others are all perfect for the club, but still catchy enough to be enjoyable by themselves.

There’s a big reason why the two biggest hits off this album, “Poison” and “Do Me!” are some of the less rap-influenced tracks: lyrics aren’t really the strong point on this album. Many of the verses with Michael Bivins or Ronnie Devoe rapping sound extremely simple, elementary even. Lines like, “She's stickin' closer to you/Than the bread on the meat of my sandwich” don’t promise lyrical mastery on this record. On the other hand, the vocals on here easily eclipse the rapping. Ricky Bell was definitely influenced by Michael Jackson here, as many tracks have him sounding like he came straight from ‘Thriller’. This is especially apparent on the two ballads that close the album, “When Will I See You Smile Again?” and “I Do Need You”, showing off Bell’s vocal prowess. Plus, Bivins and Devoe contribute greatly with their group vocals on some tracks. Their harmonization give the choruses that extra oomph on the tracks they’re utilized to their greatest potential.

Bell Biv Devoe, along with the majority of new jack swing acts, are a product of their times. Whether it’s the oh-so 80’s style production, the tacky “gangster” outfits, or their constant self-name dropping in some of the tracks, this was definitely an early 90’s group that acted like an early 90’s group. But maybe that’s not a bad thing. Instead, maybe they should be considered a period piece. All of these qualities captures the awkward transition between the neon-colored, glam obsessed late 80’s to the gritty, grunge 90’s perfectly. Besides, unlike other musical acts who could be considered “period pieces”, at least these guys were able to produce some quality music too.

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3.6 great

Rank: #0 for 1990