''King of Stage'' is the debut solo album by American R&B singer

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

. Following his exit from

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 19 ...

, and at 16, Brown signed a solo deal with the group's label

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

, which had earlier promised Brown a solo deal if he decided to leave New Edition. His first solo album was released in 1986. The album spawned the singles "Girlfriend", "Seventeen", and "Girl Next Door". None of the singles were major US Hot 100 hits, however, Brown had a number-one R&B hit with the first single, the ballad, "

Girlfriend A girlfriend is a female friend, acquaintance or partner, usually a female companion with whom one is platonically, romantically, or sexually involved. In a romantic context, this normally signifies a committed relationship where the in ...

Production

The album was produced by

Larry Blackmon Larry Ernest Blackmon (born May 24, 1956) is an American vocalist and musician who gained acclaim as the lead singer and founder frontman of the funk and R&B band Cameo. Musical career Starting the band "East Coast", Blackmon formed the "N ...

and John Luongo; Brown and Luongo produced the title track. Brown was unhappy with the production, and elected to go with proven producers for his next album.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

wrote that "as enjoyable as the Blackmon-produced tracks are, top honors must go to 'Seventeen' -- a riveting account of a teenage mother who turns to drugs and prostitution -- and the unapologetically sentimental, '70s-like soul ballad 'Girlfriend'." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' called the album "an ill-conceived mess" marked by a "lack of focus, inconsistent production and mostly inferior material." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' deemed it "a versatile blend of street funk, rap and ballads."

Track listing

" – 6:16 (Kirk Crumpler, Lee Peters, Larry White) #"Girl Next Door" – 4:08 ( Melvin Wells) #"Baby, I Wanna Tell You Something" – 3:47 (

, Tomi Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant) #"You Ain't Been Loved Right" – 5:07 (Michael Lovesmith) #"King of Stage" – 5:07 (John Luongo,

Khris Kellow The System is an American synth-pop Musical ensemble, duo that debuted in the 1980s, composed of vocalist-guitarist Mic Murphy and seasoned session keyboardist David Frank (musician), David Frank. The band was founded in 1982 in New York City, Ne ...

, Doctor Ice) #"Love Obsession" – 4:43 (Steve Lindley, Richard Nuttal, Ian Legall) #"Spending Time" – 3:58 (Allen N. Jones) #"Seventeen" – 4:17 (

Robert Brookins Robert Brookins (October 7, 1962 – April 15, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, producer and musician. Brookins was a member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. He also worked with artists such as George Duke, Stephanie Mills, Stanley Cla ...

, Tony Haynes) #"Your Tender Romance" – ( Paul Jackson Jr., Tony Haynes) 5:10

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes *Bobby Brown: Main Vocals *Lee Peters, Olie Bowlds, Richard Aquon, Allyson Williams, Tomi Jenkins, Marlena Jeter, Marva King, Angel Eve, Lance "Romance" Matthews, Scopin Scott, Smooth Bee, Victor Lee-Love, Debbie Kole, Jilliann, Willie Morris, Lena Seinday, Sue Ann, Mont Seward: Vocal Backing *Paul Jackson Jr.: Guitars, Keyboards, Bass *Melvin Wells: Guitars, Keyboards *Larry White: Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion, Vocal Backing *Kevin Choken, Emilio Conesa: Guitars *Robert Brookins, Khris Kellow, Michael Lovesmith, Grady Wilkins: Keyboards, Vocal Backing *Roland Ramos: Percussion *Maurice Bailey: Scratching *Melicio "The Cat" Magdaluyo: Saxophone

Charts

Singles

References

External links

Bobby Brown-King Of Stage at Discogs
{{Authority control 1986 debut albums Bobby Brown albums MCA Records albums