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Typical Of The Times (3.5 Stars)

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 08/26/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Not many people under the age of 25 will remember Portrait, and probably for good reason, but these cats were one of the last great R&B/New Jack acts. At this point (1992) new jack swing was on its way out the door, so these guys were victims of bad timing. They could definitely sing and they showcased their skills best on the ballads, but all of their ballads were predictable 90's style joints. There were 13 tracks and 3 interludes on this album and most of them were tight. There were classic joints on this album like "Here We Go Again" and "Honey Dip" that really brought the house down at any party. Then there are solid contributions like "You", "Down Wit Dat", "On And On", "Precious Moments", that weren't really standout songs at the time, but they still made for a good listen. But I think most Portrait fans expected more uptempo classics like "Here We Go Again" and "Honey Dip" on this album and there really aren't any other songs like that on this album and I think that's why they were forgotten so quickly. Overall, this album is an average 90's R&B album. There really aren't any standout tracks except for the two classics I mentioned earlier. "Feelings" is the closest they come to recapturing that magic and "Heartache" is an uptempo, jazz flavored love song that deserves to be mentioned as a standout track. They threw the "Here We Go Again" extended mix (if you want to call 1 extra minute extended) on at the end for those that can make it through the entire album. Other than that, there really isn't much on this album that would make them standout. It's still a solid album that will make you dance, but that can be said about any 90's R&B album. Typical 90's R&B describes it best.



Standout Tracks: Here We Go Again, Heartache, Yours Forever, Honey Dip, Feelings, and Here We Go Again (Extended Mix) (My Favorite)"

Good New Jack Swing Debut

Derrick Dunn | Woodbridge,VA | 08/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Back in the fall of 1992, I was in the fifth grade and I remeber Here We Go Again, big a huge hit at dances. Portait like Shai & Boyz II Men could harmonize with the best of them and it's a shame they didn't make a bigger impact on the music scene. In addition to the hit singles Here We Go Again, Honey Dip and Day By Day, their debut CD has some strong ballads in the form of Yours Forever,Precious Moments and the jazz flavored Heartache."

Why weren't they more successful?!

No Diggity Gal | Worcestershire, UK | 08/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this CD a few months back for no apparent reason, I just saw it on sale and thought - Hey, that might be good. I have to say, I was NOT disappointed! These guys really hold it down on their debut album, no doubt.



What amazes me is that 2 uptempo singles which were taken from this album 'Honey Dip' and 'Here We Go Again', although 'classic' in their own right, aren't the best tracks on the CD! I personally feel that their strength really was with the ballads as some of these are just far too smooth - I don't have one favourite, I like practically every one.. However, 'You' and 'Heartache' are probably the two which get put on repeat the most.



If you're into the late/post New Jack Swing sound I suggest you pick this one up, it's well worth the money if you can find it at a used CD store (I think it's now out of print). The vocals and tight and the production is on fire - it's a must for a 90's R&B collection!"