Search - Bobby Brown :: Greatest Hits

Brown is terrific, but buy his albums instead.

D. Mok | Los Angeles, CA | 08/10/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most of Bobby Brown's catalogue is now in the bargain bin, so I would suggest getting the Don't Be Cruel and Bobby albums.While not a first-rate singer, Brown's talent came in his complete abandon when in the role of lead singer, or dancer, or rapper. With an LL Cool J-like confidence Brown uses his distinctive but limited voice to carry some of the best R&B tunes of his time: "Don't Be Cruel", "Roni", "My Prerogative" and his best song, "Every Little Step", with its brilliant groove and intoxicating keyboard sound. I can also think back to his music videos, which showcased his ferocious, streetsmart dance and choreography, and "Every Little Step" ranks with Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" and Janet Jackson's "Miss You Much" as dance-video classics.Though Teddy Riley got the credit for New Jack Swing, L.A. Reid and Babyface were not to be discredited for Don't Be Cruel: Listening to their terrific songwriting and arrangements from this album made me forget Babyface's more recent, formulaic efforts. Even their work on the Bobby album had its merits, such as the twistily sexy yet sardonic melody on the verse of "Humpin' Around".But though this collection rounds up many of Brown's most popular titles, it commits the sin of collecting the singles mixes rather than the far superior album versions. "On Our Own" in its longer version on the Ghostbusters II soundtrack was much better, "Don't Be Cruel" is missing the haunting vocal chants (which were called "Cruel Prelude" on the original album and also woven into the last parts of the album track), and the wonderful second verse of "Every Little Step" is omitted in this single version. They even deleted Brown's rap from the bridge of this version and, while the song is still marvelous, it is inferior to even the version on Brown's dance-remix album (all the rage around 1989) Dance...Ya Know It!Now, don't get me wrong, the tunes still sound terrific. But I definitely wouldn't call these definitive, or even representative, versions of Brown's songs."

BOBBY...

Knyte | New York, NY | 02/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"at his best. Really, it's that song "She Ain't Worth It" on here that shows just how hot Bobby was back then - he was brought in to cameo with Glen Medieros, and his presence alone on that song made it a hit during the summer of 1990.No male Pop/R&B singer since Bobby has been able to reach the same level of stardom (i.e. Usher, Ginuwine, Sisqo, Tyrese) but they've come pretty darn close...Usher coming the closest, followed by Sisqo. At any rate, if you're nostalgic (or like Amy Linden said, you don't already own 'Don't Be Cruel' ) then by all means, get this...Yours, Andrew KnyteP.S. And you can't get "She Ain't Worth It" anywhere else - it's long out of print..."

Bobby at his best

Derrick Dunn | Woodbridge,VA | 12/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This complation is B.Brown at his best.All of his hits are on here till homeboy started trippin. I highly recommned this CD for any NE fan."