New Edition's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

Boston natives New Edition are decorated boy-band veterans. Their ability to cross-pollinate slick R&B grooves with pounding hip-hop beats has made them hitmakers since the early ‘80s, when debut single “Candy Girl” stormed the charts. Even a lineup change couldn’t dent their popularity, and their greatest hits reads like the genesis of modern pop. “Cool It Now” is a synth-laden teen anthem and “Mr. Telephone Man” fuses Jackson 5 vocals with sidewinding funk bass, while “Can You Stand the Rain” is a deeply soulful ballad.