It's hard to believe that it has been 21 years since New Edition burst onto the pop scene with the sugary hit "Candy Girl." Back then Ralph, Ronnie, Ricky, Mike and Bobby (as in Brown) were like a new edition of the Jackson 5. Now, at ages 35 to 38, they are more like the old guard of R&B on this reunion album, New Edition's first since 1996. Everybody (including Johnny Gill, who joined the group in 1988) is back except Brown. Unfortunately, despite hooking up with P. Diddy, who signed N.E. to his Bad Boy Records and executive-produced this disc, they sound hopelessly outdated for much of One Love, especially on hip-hop-inflected tracks like "Feelin' It," where they attempt to rap. They're better off making sweet harmony on ballads like "Re-write the Memories," which will remind you of the good old days. —C.A.
