New Beginning is the second studio album by American R&B female trio SWV. It was released by RCA Records on April 23, 1996, in the United States. The lead single, "You're the One", became one of their signature songs peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B Singles. The second single, "Use Your Heart", saw the debut of the super producers The Neptunes. This song peaked at twenty-two on the Hot 100 and number six on the R&B chart. The last single, "It's All About U", found Taj taking most of the lead as opposed to Coko. New Beginning was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Billboard	(favorable)^[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B^[3]
The Guardian	^[4]
Rolling Stone	^[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[5]

AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that "the group does take a different approach on New Beginning, backing away from the New Jack grooves that dominated their debut and exploring a more direct, organic R&B vibe. They haven't left hip-hop behind, but they've added a new array of sonic textures that gives their music added depth. But the true strength of New Beginning is the vocal capabilities of SWV [...] There may be a couple of weak spots on the album, but the trio's considerable talents make those moments easy to forgive."^[1]

Notes

^a signifies a co-producer

^ ^a ^b ^c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. New Beginning review at AllMusic. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
^ Reynolds, J.R. (April 27, 1996). "Reviews & Previews: Albums" (PDF). Billboard. p. 79. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
^ Considine, J.D. (April 26, 1996). "New Beginning Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
^ Sullivan, Caroline (April 26, 1996). "Music: This week's Pop CD releases". The Guardian.
^ ^a ^b Decurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; Miller, Jim; George-Warren, Holly (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music. Random House. ISBN 9780679737285.
^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 273.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2975". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – SWV – New Beginning" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 19. May 11, 1996. p. 23. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via World Radio History.
^ "Charts.nz – SWV – New Beginning". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
^ "SWV Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
^ "SWV Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
^ "Canadian album certifications – SWV – New Beginning". Music Canada. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
^ "Japanese album certifications – SWV – New Beginning" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1997年02月 on the drop-down menu
^ "American album certifications – S.W.V. – New Beginning". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 20, 2019.

New Beginning at AllMusic