The Kissing Game

New Jack Swing: Gold is a 2CD compilation released in 2008 by Hip-O, the Universal subsidiary specializing in reissues. This is part of Hip-O's Gold series and this one focuses on New Jack Swing, a style of music that combines soul, R&B, funk, and hip-hop that was made famous in the late 80's and early 90's. This features some of the biggest hits in the New Jack Swing era.

The flashy style of hip-hop-inspired contemporary R&B neologized by journalist Barry Michael Cooper – in an October 1987 Village Voice feature on innovative producer and Guy leader Teddy Riley – gets a surprising and thoughtful overview through a two-disc volume in Hip-O/Universal's extensive Gold series. It's not definitive, but it's representative. More significantly, it's a rare anthology capable of wowing casual listeners on a nostalgia trip, as well as collectors. Rather than merely compile album versions and single edits of the biggest hits in the Universal-distributed catalog, Hip-O goes deep with some dubs, extended mixes, and remixes. For every two massive crossover hits (such as Keith Sweat's Riley-produced "I Want Her" and Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative") there's a forgotten R&B hit or a buried gem, such as Jeff Redd's "You Called and Told Me" – an exemplary but low-charting single rightly considered a classic by NJS fanatics. Some might be surprised by the presence of Al Green, but he appears with a track produced by Al B. Sure! and Kyle West, who don't get enough credit for their contribution to the style's genesis and development.

Dion DiMucci had a career unlike any other in 20th century popular music, one that took him from harmonizing doo wop on the streets of the Bronx to baring his soul on a series of singer/songwriter albums in the '70s, spending his later years bringing his blues into the 21st century. First famous for the hits he had as a teen with the Belmonts, "The Wanderer" and "Ruby Baby" were covers that established Dion as a solo star in the late '50s, while "Runaround Sue" and "Lovers Who Wander," which he co-wrote, revealed a songwriting talent that would flourish over the years. DiMucci kept recording after the British Invasion changed the rock & roll landscape of the '60s, but he didn't have another big hit until the bittersweet "Abraham, Martin and John" in 1968, a single that introduced a period as an idiosyncratic singer/songwriter, an era encapsulated on the 1975 cult classic Born to Be with You.

"My mind's telling me no–but my body's telling me yes!" So says R. Kelly, neatly summing up the thrust of this sexy compilation of boudoir soul. The aptly titled BODY & SOUL includes contributions from artists as diverse as Babyface, multitalented model-about-town Tyrese, and the late Aaliyah. The latter's "At Your Best (You Are Love)" is perhaps the most poignant track here, conjuring memories of another singer prematurely deceased–Minnie Riperton–at her best. Freddie Jackson's soulful "Do Me Again" is pretty self explanatory, but the big surprise here is a 14-year-old Tevin Campbell inviting comparisons with Michael Jackson with a surprisingly mature take on love in "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do." BODY AND SOUL is an appropriately sophisticated collection that will satisfy both lovers of sultry down-tempo R&B and lovers everywhere.

Narnia
Tess Gerritsen
Iris Johansen
Julie Beard
Loveswept…………..

Collection includes 5 studio albums by Culture Club, 7 studio albums by Boy George and also one general compilation.