The album produced five Top Five soul hits -- the title track, "Do Me!," "BBD (I Thought It Was Me)?," "When Can I See You Smile Again?" and "She's Dope!" -- and sold some 4 million copies, so you can't say it wasn't successful. Moreover, the album bridged the formerly distinct worlds of soul and rap; hip-hop's acceptance into mainstream soul music was easily sped up thanks to "Poison!"

The success of "Poison!" also made the New Edition umbrella a supergroup -- in early 1990, no one thought former N.E. members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe could be successful without headliners Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill, yet BBD was more successful than Tresvant and Gill as solo acts. To this day, New Edition is still the only act in which all of its members garnered platinum albums as solo acts.

And another sign of success is imitation: TLC was created as a female version of BBD (which it still is), and the "Poison!" album allowed Bivins to parlay that success into a record label (Biv 10) and discover, among other acts, Boyz II Men -- yet another New Edition clone.

The album also got rave reviews when it was released (including even from Rolling Stone magazine). When you add it up, "Poison!" dropped a gigantic bomb on the popular soul music landscape.

21 of 23 found the following review helpful:


Classic  Jul 13, 2001 By MarvelousMarla "MarvyM"
Ok, so Ricky Bell isn't the best singer in the world, and Lord knows that Mike Bivins and Ronnie Devoe are not great rappers, but damned if they don't know how to get a party started. Man, back in the day when you heard the opening chords of "Posion" you couldn't help but move. I disagree with those who claim that this CD has not aged well because I still enjoy this music, as do many of my peers. It feels kind of weird to already have oldies at this age, but it has been 11 years since this CD dropped.

The genius of this group lies not so much in their talent or lyrics, but in their foresight to combine hip hop and R&B for a different type of sound. They were among the first to do this, and people loved it! To this day, if you start the phrase "Smack it up, flip it, rub it down.." among certain folks over 25, they will finish it up with "Oh nooo..." Heck, this is the group that coined the verse "Never trust a big butt and a smile." All of which is to say that no matter what your opinion of the music, you have to acknowledge that have left an imprint on the musical landscape.

The music is sexually blatant, but is way milder than Luke AKA "Me So ..." Luther Campbell who also let his imprint during the 90's with booty music.

The boys smooth things out with a couple of Bell-led ballads "When Will I See You Smile Again" and "I Do Need You" just to round things out. Ricky's falsetto is kind of thin, but he is so earnest that you don't even mind.

Overall, this is a classic CD that reminds me of my early years. I was young, in college and having a ball. Years from now I can still see myself playing this CD and breaking out into the running man and maybe even cabbage patch as I tell my kids "You don't know anything about this."

6 of 7 found the following review helpful:


New jack Swing Classics  Aug 10, 2001 By Cazual
Before Bell Biv Devoe, it was New Edition (Ralph Tresvant, Michael Bivins, Ronnie Devoe, Ricky Bell, Bobby Brown, and Johnny Gill) After New Edition Ricky Bell, Ronnie Devoe, and Micheal Bivins formed a three man group called Bell Biv Devoe. Bell Biv Devoes 1st Cd Poison is a New Jack Swing Classic. Songs like "Poison," "Do Me!," "B.B.D. (Thought It Was Me)," and "Shes Dope," are 4 New Jack Swing Classics, and are by far the best songs off Poison. Bell Biv Devoe didn't really make any soft tunes, but they made one good one called "When Will I See You Smile Again?) which was also a big hit. So people who diss and make fun of Bell Biv Devoe just look at how many classics they have, they got atleast 5. After this Cd they made Hootie Mack, and then did one last New Edition CD. Ricky Bell and Ronnie Devoe didn't do anything after 1996, but Michael Bivins in the early 90's made debut albums for Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men, which are two great albums.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:


This cd is DOPE!  Feb 05, 2007 By S. Jones "nefan4lyfe"
One one my favorite groups, with New Edition being my favorite. This cd takes me back to the days when your boyfriend use to make love song mixtapes. I know i had one with "I Do Need You" and When Will I See You Smile Again. Love every song on this and with the way music is now it's rare to have a cd with more than 1-2 even decent songs. Classic, Classic, Classic!!!!!!

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:


Still good after 20 years!!!  Oct 22, 2010 By Stop Googling Me
I bought this CD as a joke to relive my memories from the 90s. After a first listen, I could tell that the album sounded a bit dated from the mixing (levels of instruments), but after that, I realized that this is a REALLY good album. There are some sweet tracks like "Dope", "Do Me" and "When Will I See You Again?", and they aren't held back by dated instruments. Instead, the songwriting, harmonies and song structures overshadow everything that might be perceived as "old". Of course, this has their hit "Poison". Recommended.

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