VA - Mo' Money - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)

The soundtrack to Mo' Money is a decent endeavor from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. They managed to get together more early-'90s R&B and rap stars than you can shake a stick at for the project. Parts of the album are noteworthy, others are not. Cases in point, the "Mo' Money Groove," which is simply multiple artists chanting the mantra "mo' money money, mo' money money money" for nearly six minutes. Secondarily, half of the tracks are short bits of dialogue from the movie, which usually set the scene for the coming songs, though that introduction is perhaps not necessary. Notable songs on the album are many. The Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross collaboration on "The Best Things in Life Are Free" keeps a hot beat with two of the better vocalists of modern R&B, along with appearances by half of New Edition (specifically Bell Biv DeVoe and Ralph Tresvant). Krush brings out a little bit of dancehall on "Let's Get Together (So Groovy Now)" and über-soulful Sounds of Blackness follow suit. Public Enemy invokes George Clinton on "Get Off My Back" and multiple soft soul singers take their place on the album, such as Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, and the boy-band precursor Color Me Badd. Throughout, the album is a perfect blend for a fan of the early-'90s R&B sound, but doesn't really meet the same standard as music of later years.~Mo' Money Review by Adam Greenberg