If New Edition had any competition during the New Jack Era, that competition was definitely Troop. In 1988 the quintet (who had met on a show entitled ‘Puttin On The Hitz’) released their first album featuring the hits “Mamcita,” “My Heart” (an early Chuckii Booker triumph), and “Still In Love (Romeo & Juliet).”
In 1989, the group’s best album Attitude kept us rocking polka dots, and dancing our butts off. With the now classic “Spread My Wings” (also by Chuckii Booker), “All I Do Is Think Of You” (a Jackson 5 remake), “I’m Not Souped,” and title track, the Attitude album perfectly encapsulated the sonic vibrancy of the New Jack Era at its creative peak – 1989 and 1990.
In 1992, Troop returned with Deepa, a seriously underrated album that featured "Sweet November", a remake of a Deele ballad, and "Whatever It Takes (To Make You Stay)." After Deepa, Troop recorded a couple more albums, but they haven’t been heard from since. Lead singer Steve worked on Special Generation’s Butterflies album in 1993, an extremely hard album to find. Troop released two more albums quietly throughout the rest of the 1990s, but was never able to achieve the same level they did with their first two.
Lead singer Steven Russell has been keeping himself busy by working with a team of producers called the Underdogs who have recently signed a deal with the 'other' master of popular music himself (besides Quincy Jones) and that is, Clive Davis. You can hear some of Steve's work on albums by Mario, B2K (especially his voice and style on "Gots Ta Be" and "Why I Love You") and even American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini.
Troop: Attitude
