Hi-Five (album)
Hi-Five is the debut 1990 album by the American R&B (New Jack Swing) vocal group "Hi-Five"; original founding members are Waco, Texas and OKC, Oklahoma natives—lead singer Tony Thompson (age 14), Russell Neal (age 16), Marcus Sanders (age 17), Roderick Clark (age 17), and co-lead Toriano Easley (age 16). Released on September 25, 1990, The album peaked at number thirty eight on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Driven by the hit singles released; first single on August 27, 1990 "I Just Can't Handle It" on the Jive label, (R&B #10), "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" (#1 R&B/Pop), "I Can't Wait Another Minute" (R&B #1, Pop #8) and "Just Another Girlfriend" (R&B #41). Also, Hi-Five is the only album to feature original founding Hi-Five member 16 year old Toriano Easley (b. December 10, 1973), who turned himself in to Oklahoma City police on September 4, 1990, weeks before release of the studio debut album "Hi-Five" for first-degree murder (after a confrontation with an 21 year old acquaintance) and sentenced to manslaughter, March 1991. Also, marked Easley both only single cover and music video (release Nov. 7, 1990) "I Just Can't Handle It" appearance for the debut album with original founding group members; before dismissed from the group. Recorded between ages 13 and 16 years old, Toriano is co-lead singer with Tony Thompson on "The Way You Said Goodbye," "Rag Doll," "I Can't Wait Another Minute," and their demo "I Know Love" which sealed the deal for record label (Jive/RCA) recording contract. The album received an RIAA platinum certification.[2] In the video for "I Can't Wait Another Minute", Treston Irby, at age 18, native of Bronx, New York (who is Easley's replacement) lip syncs Toriano's co-lead vocals during live performances and in video appearances (none of studio debut Hi-Five album songs were re-recorded with Treston Irby's vocals).
| Hi-Five | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 25, 1990[1] | |||
| Recorded | November 1989–May 1990 | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop, soul, R&B, new jack swing | |||
| Length | 51:39 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Producer | Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Eric Foster White, Dave Way, Alvin Moody, Vincent Bell, Carl Bourelly, Kevin Johnson, Frankie Smith, William Walton | |||
| Hi-Five chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Hi-Five | ||||
| ||||
Background
The song, "Too Young" (in a single edit version), also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1991 John Singleton film Boyz n the Hood. It is the first recorded appearance of Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy who was 16 when this song was released, which he revealed in his book My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy.[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Just Can't Handle It" | Bernard Bell, Teddy Riley | Bell, Riley | 4:32 |
| 2. | "Just Another Girlfriend" | Eric Foster White | White | 4:01 |
| 3. | "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" | Riley, Bell, Dave Way | Riley, Bell, Way | 5:49 |
| 4. | "Rag Doll" | Alvin Moody | Moody | 4:39 |
| 5. | "I Can't Wait Another Minute" | White | White | 5:03 |
| 6. | "Too Young" | Carl & Jean-Paul Bourelly, Roz Davis | Carl & Jean-Paul Bourelly | 5:13 |
| 7. | "Merry-Go-Round" | Carl Bourelly, Kevin Johnson, Sean Richards | C. Bourelly, Kevin Johnson | 5:11 |
| 8. | "The Way You Said Goodbye" | White | White | 4:41 |
| 9. | "Sweetheart" | Bourelly, Bourelly, Richards, Davis, | C. Bourelly | 4:09 |
| 10. | "I Know Love" | William Walton | Watson, Frankie Smith | 3:54 |
| 11. | "Just Another Girlfriend (Remix)" | White | White | 4:07 |
Personnel
Hi-Five
Additional singers
|
Musicians
|
References
- "Hi-Five". 25 September 1990 – via Amazon.
- "Marcus Sanders revisits Hi-Five's debut album - Return To The Classics - SoulCulture".
- Johnson, A.; Checkoway, L. (2012). My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy. Touchstone. p. 36. ISBN 9781439103197. Retrieved 2015-06-24.