Originally published in 2003 on NE20.com (inactive)
I clearly remember reading the Rolling Stone magazine review of Ralph Tresvant’s first solo CD. The reviewer, Amy Linden, gave the CD two stars out of five.
At first, I agreed with Linden’s assessment. When I first listened to the CD, I expected an earth-shattering experience similar to what I felt when I heard Bell Biv DeVoe’s Poison. I thought the CD was simply by-the numbers and wondered, as Linden stated, if Ralph didn’t “have much to say and that the only way he can come across is through the power of his production credits.”
This is the precisely the conclusion one can get if you listen to a CD once or twice, which is exactly what most music journalists do while preparing a review. If the writer doesn’t hear hooks and hits, and if the earth isn’t shattered, the CD gets a bad review.
“Sensitivity” was a hit and I liked the song, but I expected more from the new CD. I listened again. The first song that really grabbed my attention was “Public Figure (Ordinary Guy)”. I loved its message and listened to it repeatedly. I soon realized that Linden was wrong. Ralph Tresvant says a lot, but you have to listen more than once to truly understand its message.
Songs like “Sensitivity”, “Stone Cold Gentleman” and “Do What I Gotta Do” say that it’s all right to be a sensitive guy and it’s all right to be a gentleman. It’s all right to feel passionate about a woman and to express your feelings without macho posturing. And finally, life and love are complicated but it’s possible to survive the trials presented by both.
As usual, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis contributed the album’s best material. Daryl Simmons and Kayo from the LaFace camp pick up the pace with the New Jack “Stone Cold Gentleman” and the torturous “Love Hurts.” And Michael Jackson, the performer most compared to Ralph in the early days of New Edition, co-wrote “Alright Now”, a song which unfortunately did not appear on the cassette/LP version of Ralph Tresvant.
Today, Ralph Tresvant is one of my top ten favorite CDs. I like it for many of the same reasons I like Bobby Brown’s Bobby: it is a true reflection of the artist who created it, and it is a great collection of songs by an incredibly talented performer.
Will Leon 