AMG Review of Under the Blue Moon

Ron Wynn
All Music Guide

Changes were on the horizon for New Edition. They had become enormously successful by aping the Jackson 5, but were undergoing internal trauma as original member Bobby Brown bolted amid rumors of dissatisfaction with the group's direction. Under the Blue Moon featured their covers of '50s and '60s standards and was among early examples of the retro trend now so prominent in urban contemporary camps. While they didn't do this type of material nearly as well as the Force M.D.'s, they at least brought fresh attention to such songs as "Earth Angel" and "Tears on My Pillow."