Product Rating: Product Rating: 4.0
Pros: Progressive newjack sound for Tiff. I love her vocals here.
Cons: Three tracks in particular bog the score down. Only 10 tracks!
The Bottom Line: Great music to play while: singing into your remote control, wishing you had her vocal range.
tjhassecrets's Full Review: New Inside by Tiffany (Pop)
I complained and bellyached about Tiffany's lack of presence and sleepwalking style on her sophomore record Hold An Old Friend's Hand; I also mentioned that her third project saw Tiffany taking a bit more control over her sound and image, and that's true. After she parted ways (for the first time) with the scoundrel George Tobin, who is more or less known for holding the girl back from her true potential, Tiffany started experimenting with real dance. Unfortunately, it was fruitless effort, failing to chart at all. By 1990, Tiffany wasn't cool anymore. She was even behind her "rival" Debbie Gibson, whose Anything is Possible LP was released the same year. While that record garnered some attention with performances on the Arsenio Hall Show and other late-night outlets, Tiffany was invisible. There was next to no promotion for the record, and it is known unknown outside of Tiffany's circle (and even then, it's rarely discussed).
Unlike her mallpop efforts, New Inside is an aptly titled dance record that dabbled with newjack swing, Mowtown stylings, rnb, and Tiffany's mature voice. It's odd comparing it to her last effort, which featured the same voice singing trashy and boring rehashes from her debut; here, her voice is fully recognized, and her raspy moments are powerful and interesting. Unfortunately, we wouldn't really hear them again until Dust Off and Dance, her next dance album released in 2005. Where New Inside went right was the overproduction, a trait common in Janet Jackson's music that brings life and fun into the tracks. On the title-track, Tiffany's delivery floored me. Aside from the fact that it's a fun song on its own, the way she belts out the line "If you ever ask me do I love you, YES THE ANSWER IS YOUR DIVIIINE!" is, well, divine. This record is also the first time Tiffany contributed to the songwriting, earning credits for the ultra-cool It's You and the flat 70s (and 80s?) sounding slowjam Back in the Groove, where she sounds a little like she did on her previous effort.
I prefer the smokey and urgent delivery on track likes the sexy Our Love and the tongue-in-cheek Tiff's Back, which is kind of like Latoya Jackson done right. The hooks on this album are overall way better than they were on her last record, as outlined by Life Affair, which is a great song that...would have done a lot better back in 1987. It's not a mallpop song, rather it sounds like something from Madonna's True Blue record or something by Jody Watley. Her voice plays with the song, and listening to it makes me forget that I am listening to the Queen of the Food Court. The cool production is nice, and the lyrics are nice enough for a pop song. My favorite track on the album is by far Never Run My Motor Down, which is pure mallpop, but with a fire to it that Tiffany brings with her vocals: "Jump up, turn around, faster than the speed of sound / Follow me all over town-- NEVER run my motor down!" The second bridge has a slight sense of that desperate feeling when she starts talking about living her life the way she wants, but it's just so damn catchy that I don't care. There's a great attitude on this record that was unmatched in her discography at this point.
I'm not super keen on the 90s Mariah Carey ballad There Could Never, but it's definitely not the worst thing she's done-- at least she seems to be enjoying the material. One of the ballads I do like is Tenderly, which begins with a brief interlude called A Moment to Rest, which doesn't last all that long. Her vocals are the star of the show, and if it weren't for her delivery, I'd probably skip over it (Debbie Gibson couldn't handle this track!) This is true growth of an artist, consider how on her last record, she has a great song that I only listened to because I liked the song, though she only hindered it in many ways. Listening to New Inside is true development, and it's a shame that it has been shunned by both the public and her fans.
...THIS IS TIFFANY AS A FLY GIRL. WHY WOULDN'T YOU WANT THIS?
JUDGING
By far my favorite Tiffany album, if only for the title-track. It may not her best overall, but I find myself listening to most of these songs the most. I like Tiffany's raspy vocals here; she sounds like a sexy momma, which is true progression from her mallpop sound of her first two records. Though she would go back to George Tobin after this record, it's still a testament to how powerfully she can perform. I wish it were still print, so I could easily have people hear it. Get your butts on Amazon and order a copy. They aren't that expensive. ...maybe check the used CD bin at your local record shop.
01. New Inside [5 Stars]
02. It's You [5 Stars]
03. A Moment to Rest/Tenderly [4 Stars]
04. Never Run My Motor Down [5 Stars]
05. Here in My Heart [1 Star]
06. Tiff's Back [4.5 Stars]
07. Our Love [4.5 Stars]
08. Life Affair [5 Stars]
09. Back in the Groove [1 Star]
10. There Could Never [2 Stars]
OVERALL SCORE: 4 STARS (3.7+)
http://www.epinions.com/review/musc_mu-151035/content_475202621060
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