Together Forever

A groundbreaking record that transported freestyle's beats and themes to new heights, Together Forever temporarily broke freestyle out of it's early '90s slump. With producer Carlos Berrios, Lisette Melendez added instrumental and vocal heft to this thoroughly, unrepentantly teenage format. The single "Together Forever" introduced the genre's "new school" with its innovative use of hip-hop loops. Melendez's vocals throughout the album suggest a maturity beyond the adolescent range of predecessors such as Lisa Lisa or Exposé. --John Sanchez