If you weren't at least a teenager in the late 1980s, then you'll most likely have a hard time believing that Bobby Brown made headlines for his hits and not for his embarrassing run-ins with the law. In retrospect, the success of this former New Edition member wasn't supposed to happen and it surprised all parties involved--even Brown himself. After the flop album "King of Stage," Brown had one more chance to prove himself as a solo artist, and nobody was sure if "Don't Be Cruel" would be a hit. Fortunately for him, it was. It skyrocketed to Number One on the album charts, spawned a string of Top Ten hits, and his onstage dance moves made him a new teen heartthrob. What's more, "Don't Be Cruel" is credited as an album that helped put two things on the map: a) new jack swing and b) LA Reid & Babyface, the production team who did a handful of the material on this album. However, his most familiar single was the Gene Griffin/Teddy Riley-produced "My Prerogative," which is just as slammin' a new jack groove as anything Guy ever recorded. The hits "Every Little Step" (whose original album version is way better than the single remix, in my mind), "Roni," and the ballad "Rock Wicthca" are all bonafide jams that have that late-1980s r&b feel, while the album cut "I'll Be Good to You" also stands out pretty well. "Don't Be Cruel" isn't a perfect album, though. Brown's vocal style is limited and the second half of the album loses a bit of steam. But it's an overall fun r&b record that proves Brown did indeed have a life well before he made headlines as Mr. Whitney Houston.

Bobby Brown's Don't Be Cruel album may be the reason we still talk about him today. This album matches quite well with his bad boy image and superb artistry that he brings to it. The album opens strongly with two powerhouse funky numbers in Don't Be Cruel and My Prerogative before shifting to two lush ballads in Roni and Rock Wit'cha. Every Little Step continues the funk. The other songs that weren't hits were also good, such as Take It Slow and I Really Love You. And while Britney Spears may have done My Prerogative late last year for her greatest hits album and it's okay, it's no contest to Bobby's more hardcore version! This album is like the prelude to what Usher's Confessions album did in 2004, something that had major crossover success on R&B, pop and dance circles. It really represented the new jack swing trend so very well with its charging beats and rhythms. It was a huge hit all throughout late 1988 and most of 1989. I think that Bobby's recent troubles haven't affected this album one bit. In fact, most people would rather hear Bobby's music than the typical news report on him. Myself included. Though some of Bobby's albums haven't sold as strong as this one, this was him at his highest level. LA and Babyface along with Teddy Riley and others produced a fabulous high class album with Don't Be Cruel. This is like the What's Going on of the late '80s, an album that's had a major effect on music culture and the R&B landscape. It is still a classic record to this day! I hope that Bobby returns back to the top soon!

When people think of the Bobby Brown these days, they think of the pathetic loser that's bringing down Whitney Houston's life and career; but at one time he was the biggest singer in the world. People were questioning his decision to leave New Edition; but it was the best move he could he could possibly make(and for New Edition; their post-Bobby album "Heartbreak" is a classic). This album is solely responsible for the raunchy bad boy R&B that is flooding the airwaves today; from Usher, B2K, Marques Houston, R.Kelly,Tyrese, Ginuwine and even Justin Timberlake owe B.Brown their careers. This has some of modern urban music's standards;"My Perogative"(which unfortunately be his life's theme song), "Roni"(MY SONG!), "Every Little Step", "On Our Own" and the anthemic title track. This will probably be Bobby's last shining moment in the spotlight; as the old saying goes: There's nothing worse in life to see than wasted potential.

When Bobby Brown released this cd in June of 1988, just one week after his former group New Edition released their Heartbreak cd with his replacement member Johnny Gill, few expected it to even offer competition to the NE disc. 18 months later, at the close of 1989, the Don't Be Cruel had sold 7 million copies, spent weeks at #1 on the pop chart, yielded Brown 6 top 10 pop hits, including the #1 smash "My Prerogative," and most signifigantly ended up as the year's top r&band pop album. He was, and has been, one of only 3 black males to do so (M.Jackson & Lionel Ritchie being the other two.) Brown then was considered the king of r&b and was one of the first artists to bridge r&b with rap. Hard to believe it's been 10 yrs since Brown's heyday and even harder to believe that from those lofty heights then he is regarded as nothing more than a punchline now. Still, Don't Be Cruel remains required listening for any current r&b male star, Sisqo included, so as not to forget who trailblazed it. Kudos to wife Whitney, who reminded the world of Brown's contributions to hip hop,pop, and r&b. Bobby, rest assured, this is one fan who has not forgotten! Long live the king!

You've heard of a one hit wonder, where an artist has one hit and then disappears. Well this is a one hit album. This album is amazing and brings back a lot of memories. At the time I thought he was going to be the next Michael Jackson. Little did I know that that would be his shining moment, besides marrying Whitney Houston. This is one of those albums where every song is a hit. It's too bad his career never got back up to these heights.