Amazon.com Back in 1990, Teddy Riley was just as influential a producer as Babyface is now--maybe even more so, because Riley had invented a whole new sound, a combination of soul harmonies, rap breaks, and hip-hop beats called new jack swing. Riley is still a gifted producer; he can link up drum-machine beats, synthesizer chords, and voices so they make the maximum impact with the minimum presence, giving his work a sleek leanness. Riley was never much of a songwriter, though, and the R&B melodies and bedroom scenarios on Another Level, the second album by his group Blackstreet, all sound recycled. It's no coincidence that the two strongest tracks are a lush ballad rearrangement of the old Beatles rocker "Can't Buy Me Love" and a Winans-like version of the DeBarge hymn "Time Will Reveal." --Geoffrey Himes Product description Blackstreet: Teddy "Street" Riley, Eric "E" Williams (vocals, various instruments); Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, Mark L. Middleton (vocals). Additional personnel includes: Dr. Dre, Queen Pen, Beverly Crowder, Karen Anderson, Shaquanna Elam, Darryl Adams, ELAN, Lamenga Ford, Shannon Cooper, Deja, Taja (vocals); William Stewart, Sprague Williams, Serban Ghenea, Eric Williams, Wesley Hoggs, Tommy Sims (various instruments); Frank "Nitty" Pimental, Roosevelt Harrell (programming). "No Diggity" won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and was nominated for Best R&B Song. Personnel: Beverly Crowder (vocals, rap vocals); Elan , Shaquanna Elam, Lamenga Ford, Shannon Cooper, Karen Anderson (vocals); Queen Pen (rap vocals); Eric Williams, Frank Nitty Pimentel, Sprague Williams, William Stewart , Wesley Hoogs, Roosevelt Harrell, Tommy Simms , Teddy Riley (programming). Audio Mixers: George Meyers; Serban Ghenea; Teddy Riley; John Hanes . Recording information: Future Studios, Carribean Sound Basin & Capital Studios. Photographer: Dorothy Low. Unknown Contributor Roles: Julius McKelvey; Mark Middleton. Arrangers: Eric Williams; Frank Nitty Pimentel; Sprague Williams; William Stewart ; Wesley Hoogs; Chauncey Hannibal; Tommy Simms ; Teddy Riley. Teddy Riley's fans were begging for a reunion of Guy, the trio with which he brought deep-soul music back to the R&B genre, but Riley chose to forge ahead with his new band, Blackstreet, instead. Wise move. Blackstreet's second album really does take the Riley R&B sound to ANOTHER LEVEL. It's one of the best R&B albums we've heard in a long time. The tracks here are unbelievably funky, and though two of Blackstreet's four singers have turned over since the debut--the new ones are Eric Williams and Mark L. Middleton--the vocal harmonies are breathtaking. Classic Stevie Wonder would be an apt comparison. Riley evokes old-school soul a number of times here--"Don't Leave Me" and "The Lord Is Real" sample tASIN: B000001Y2BVSKU: GGV.B000001Y2B.LNCondition: Like NewAuthor/Artist:BLACKSTREETBinding: Audio CD
