New Edition’s fifth album Heart Break, first released through MCA Records is set to return on vinyl on February 14, 2025. It will be available on 2LP in clear vinyl and black vinyl editions.
First released in June 1988, Heart Break marked a transition to a more mature sound for the group, and a transformative era in R&B as the musical landscape evolved. It also played a crucial role in launching their solo careers, following the success of hits like “Mr. Telephone Man” and “Candy Girl.”
Heart Break was the first album the Boston-reared band recorded as a quintet after the public exit of original member Bobby Brown, and the first album to feature Johnny Gill as a member of the group. Co-produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with New Edition and Jellybean Johnson, the album peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart and went on to obtain a double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The record spun off five singles: “If It Isn’t Love”, “You’re Not My Kind of Girl”, “Can You Stand the Rain”, “Crucial”, and “N.E. Heart Break”. “Boys to Men” was released as a sixth single on September 24, 1991. “If It Isn’t Love” was the biggest hit from the album, reaching the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 7.
Heart Break also attracted widespread critical praise. AllMusic editor Craig Lytle called the record an “outstanding album overall” and found that it displayed “New Edition’s growth and maturity due in part to the production work of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and the addition of group newcomer Johnny Gill.” Similarly, Washington Post critic Joe Brown noted that “New Edition has grown up visibly and audibly, and it doesn’t hurt that they’ve taken on D.C.’s own Johnny Gill as front man. The lyrics on Heart Break exemplify the changes – as usual, Jam-Terry Lewis spent some time hanging out with the group, then tailored the tunes with an autobiographical slant.”
Pre-order the vinyl edition of Heart Break.
