Search - Today :: The New Formula

New Jack Swing Anyone?

retro_styled_crooner | Tustin, CA USA | 12/23/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the foursomes successful 1989 self-titled debut, Today's (Frederick Lee "Bubba" Drakeford, Larry Singletary, Wesley Adams, and Larry McCain) 1991 follow-up titled, The New Formula, erased the quartet's choir boy image, when trying to compete with other New Jacks such as the groundbreaking Bell Biv DeVoe. Their sophomore great effort toughened the edges of its sound to compete with the unorthodox B.B.D., playing up its skittering arrangements and dropping the group's smooth, choir styled harmonies in the background, the better to cop the production style of Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poison" (Poison was produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Public Enemy producers Hank and Keith Shocklee). And while "The King of New Jack Swing" Teddy Riley, had steered and directed much of the groups self-titled debut, The New Formula was assembled with numerous producers, such as Gene Griffin, Dr. Freeze, Charles Farrar, ect., but still arrived in the shadow of Bell Biv Devoe's powerhouse debut, Poison. The released singles "Why You Get Funky On Me" "I Wanna Come Back Home" and the albums perfect opener "I Got The Feeling" all flirted with chart success, and was much deserved of mainstream accecptance with their tightly wound arrangements. Though its very unfortunate Today got caught up in imitating other acts, oppose to riding out their own, which was headed down a positive road, say the least."

POSSIBLY BLACKBALLED!

Glenn A. Smith | San Antonio | 08/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Either the record company or somebody is doing Big Bub and Today wrong!! You mean to tell me they have no release for either of Today's album and Bub's Comin at Cha album?? You can't tell me that their music is not good enough to put on the market, especially with the garbage out there right now! I'm thinking that Big Bub must've rubbed somebody the wrong way!!"