AMG Review of Definitive Collection

Rob Theakston
All Music Guide

Released just one year after the 20th Century Masters greatest-hits compilation, The Definitive Collection does something that no other Bobby Brown greatest-hits album has been able to: provide a comprehensive overview of his entire career. Whether it's his tenure in teen idol sensations New Edition (represented here by the Ray Parker, Jr. classic "Mr. Telephone Man"), his new jack era (largely represented by all five Top Ten singles off of Don't Be Cruel), or his later years, it's all here. Also included is his recent collaboration with Ja Rule, "Thug Lovin'," and his horrifically dated contribution to the #Ghostbusters II soundtrack, "On Our Own." Though this disc could have only been helped along with the inclusion of more New Edition material, it stands as a solid document and is the only disc that a person with a passing interest in Brown's career will ever need.