Blackstreet - Another Level [2LP]

Blackstreet's Another Level is the album that made "No Diggity" a household phrase, and this double LP lays the 1996 classic out across four sides of smooth, hard-hitting R&B.

Founded by Teddy Riley, the architect of new jack swing, Blackstreet hit their commercial peak on this second album, blending sweet, close-knit harmonies with hip-hop production built for both the radio and the club. Riley produced much of the record, and his ear for crisp, bouncing grooves runs through every track, from the slow jams to the swaggering mid-tempo cuts. The result captured a moment when R&B and hip-hop were becoming inseparable.

"No Diggity," with Dr. Dre and Queen Pen, remains one of the defining singles of the decade, its rolling piano loop and laid-back strut instantly recognizable from the first bar. "Don't Leave Me" turns on the heartbreak with silky, pleading vocals, while "Fix" brings the swagger and "(Money Can't) Buy Me Love" shows off the group's playful side. Interludes and skits stitch it all together like a late-night radio show.

Thirty years on, Another Level still sounds like the meeting point of two genres that had finally found their rhythm together. Spin it for the hits, stay for the deep cuts, and enjoy the way those layered harmonies bloom on vinyl.