Back on the Block: revisiting the Quincy Jones album on its anniversary
“if you think i’m gonna be good to you, if you think i like what you do — sho’ you right!”
today is Election Day so y’all betta go out there and get you an “I Voted” sticker if you haven’t already.
but it’s also the anniversary of Quincy Jones’ star-studded album Back on the Block, which was officially released on November 8, 1989. this has been in my collection for the past few years after i picked it up for $1 at Criminal Records.
on this intergenerational crossover album, the prolific musician/composer/producer Quincy Jones fuses jazz, R&B, and hip hop all while looking back on 30+ years in the industry. ultimately, Back on the Block is a dedication to urbanity and an interesting musical hallmark of the past, present, and future.
while the album is very much of its time (see the late 80s/early 90s aesthetic on the album art), there are some notable hits. among them:
the duet “I’ll Be Good to You” with Ray Charles and Chaka Khan, a cover of the 1976 song by The Brothers Johnson (which Jones also produced).
“Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me) feat. Tevin Campbell — which i basically have memorized since the 6th grade, after my predominantly Black school headed to the Georgia Beta Club Convention circa 2006 and chose this song for our interpretive, inspirational performance.
and last, but certainly not least: the best R&B posse cut of all time and the album’s closer “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)”.
the last track features Al B. Sure!, El Debarge, Barry White, and James Ingram as rotating soloists who eventually harmonize and ad-lib over each other, all while passionately expressing their desires and making listeners everywhere blush.
elsewhere on the album, jazz greats Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald make their final studio recordings, whereas rappers like Ice-T and Big Daddy Kane are among those featured on the title track that would earn Jones a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. overall, the record even won the 1991 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
with all that talent (and i haven’t even listed everybody involved), those studio sessions must have been wild! but i’d imagine a good time nonetheless.
at just under an hour in runtime, Back on the Block is a solid contemporary R&B record to put on whenever for fairly easy listening. but if you’re specifically looking to get into a grown & sexy mood, look no further!
