The number one song on the U.S. pop chart twenty years ago this week was "Too Close" by Next. This sexy crossover hit, which spent five nonconsecutive weeks on top, also reached this position on the r&b chart.
The group is made-up of Robert "R.L." Huggar and brothers, Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweet" Brown who came together in Minneapolis in 1992. They were first known as "Straightforward" before coming up with "Next" after Naughty By Nature member, Kay Gee helped them get signed to his label with Arista Records.
After the release of their debut album, "Rated Next", the first single, "Butta Love" became a top-five hit on the r&b chart but their follow-up was the trio's breakthrough. "Too Close" is simple enough; a grooving jam abut a couple having a good time, dancing very close together until all that friction causes an inopportune "rise" in the gentleman. The song would become Next's biggest chart success with the single selling over two million copies in America alone. Although they would reach the top-ten again in 2000 with "Wifey" (and land at number-one on the r&b chart), Next would break-up after the release of their third album, "The Next Episode" in 2002 due to internal conflicts.
But Next reunited in 2011 and began work on new music. However, the completed album was never released. The group has finally made an official comeback with a new single, "Want It" that was dropped just last month. For now, let's go back and listen to this classic from Next:
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