Rodney Franklin - Diamond Inside Of You (1988)

     at this point i'm almost taking over the cover with this massive reflection. interesting little album here, big mix of new jack beats, soul, pop, really anything you name it. the record starts out with a jazzy instrumental tune with a new jack beat, Malibu Shuffle. followed closely by is Gotta Give It Up, a nice little uptempo poppy track. flip over the record and you get a nice soulful instrumental tune Shasta Wind. next track is another jazzy bit with a new jack swang, Woogie. lots to like in this one. laid back record, perfect for a late night groove. 

Louise Freeman - Listen To My Heart (1991)

     took a little flier on this one last week. cover and year led to to believe there'd be something for me, was not disappointed. decent record throughout, okay funky stuff with soul-ish mixed in. When Push Comes To Shove starts off the record in a funky style. flip it over and you get a seldom heard new jack tune, Back In Stride. the best two tracks start off their respective sides. was glad to get that new jack, can never get enough of it!

Donna McElroy - Bigger World (1990)

 

     reflection again says hey. was pretty excited to come across this one. released on the warner bros gospel label, one of only two releases apparently. this copy is from reprise though. the album starts out with some funky and soul stuff on the a-side, but it's the flip side where things get good. second track on that side is Take It Away, some decent gospel new jack. another great one sits at the very end of the record. Can't Stand Still starts with a little rap and goes into that smooth gospel new jack. nice little surprise of a record, you know what's in store.

MerriWeather - Body Like That (1988)

     barely a hey from the reflection. was flipping through crates in a record store and spotted this one. had a close look and it seemed decent, but i left it behind. when i got home to check and see what i was missing, i couldn't find much, and the one snippet i found was pretty lame, Dog Eat Dog. the thing that struck me was it being listed as new jack, i figured there must be at least one good tune. went back into the store a few days later and picked it up. i couldn't wait to see what was going on. well the a-side wasn't doing it for me. flip it over and still nothing. i get to the second last track and finally a winner. was hoping for at least one good tune, and i got one and one only, Not Tired Yet. not the greatest new jack, but fun for sure with some great horn work. still kinda early for the genre, so it's no surprise the rest of the album is a snoozer.

Terry Steele - King Of Hearts (1989)

     hey again from the reflection! picked this up one up on a whim. based on the cover and date i knew there had to be some new jack on this thing. luckily there's three of them on this record. couldn't find these tracks anywhere online, so i thought i'd throw them up in case someone like me comes around and wonders what the record sounds like. most of the record is some late-80s soul and a tad bit of funky stuff. the best stuff here is the new jack tunes. nothing crazy good here, but some decent stuff, especially if you've exhausted the genre and are just looking for anything new. first standout comes at the end of the a-side, Give That Love. flip it over and you get two back-to-back, Anyway You Want It and What Cha Tryin' To Do. rather subdued form of new jack, but definitely worth the listen!