Boyz II Men "End of The Road"

Album: Boomerang-Original Soundtrack Album (Laface)
Songwriters: Babyface, LA Reid and Darryl Simmons
Hit #1: August 22nd, 1992 (4 Weeks)

When Jay Z said he wanted to make his "Song Cry", this is what he meant. A melodramatic pop ballad that co-writer/ co-producer Babyface at one point considered to record himself, "End of The Road" solidified Boyz II Men as the biggest act in the music biz, topping a near-forty year old record set by Elvis Presley for the longest running #1 on the Hot 100 and becoming the biggest thing Motown ever unleashed on the masses.

This is some serious knees-on-the-ground, dragged-to-the-door, holding-on-to-your-lady's-coat, pleading-for-her-not-to-go type stuff that these four cats magically brought to life. They were supposed to be together forever, the couple all their friends looked to for inspiration, but as soon as she got a taste of something else, she was ready to call it quits and start a life with the new fella.

"It's un-natural/ You belong to me/ I belong to you," they cry in pristine four-part harmonies. They knew about her side dalliances, chalked it up to her yearning to sow her wild oats, but believed deep down in their soul that in the end, they would reunite stronger than ever and continue to live out the dream. Bass vocalist Michael McCary pulls out his most important performance, exposing the sensitive man behind the deep voice with a spoken word bit that further personifies the mindset of a broken man, shattering the notion that the strongest men don't hurt as much as a woman in the face of a break-up ("I'm not out to go off and cheat on you all night/ Just like you did baby.../ My heart hurts baby/ Yes I feel pain too").

By the end of it's elongated chart-reigning peak, we were all tired of the Boyz singing out to the long-gone lover ("Get over it pansies!!"). Yet over a decade later (with Making The Band 4 tattooing it's greatness in our minds all over again), "End of The Road" remains their most prized performance, and no one has been able to make a tune shed such believable tears since.

Best Moment: Whenever Wanya graces the mic



DL: "End of The Road" (YFH)

TLC "Baby Baby Baby"

Album: Oooooooh...On The TLC Tip (Laface)
Songwriters: Babyface, LA Reid and Darryl Simmons
Hit #1: August 8th, 1992 (2 Weeks)

TLC's premier single "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" may have come off a bit strong for some tastes. Condom eyewear, baggy tomboy attire, an apocalyptic PE soundscape and an assertive feminine stance on sex ("Two inches or a yard/ Rock hard or if it's saggin'/ I ain't 2 proud 2 beg!") might not have been everyone's cup of tea, but it was just the type of explosive debut one artist needed to pull instant attention their way. The trio (or their handlers) were smart enough, though, to realize that if they wanted to be more than a flash-in-the-pan novelty act, they were going to have to back up all the hullabaloo with some solid songs. Cue the team of Laface to provide that on the follow-up, "Baby Baby Baby".

If "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" resided in the land of the brash and kooky Left Eye, "Baby Baby Baby" was all T-Boz: laidback, with sole focus on the smooth groove. Tionne Watkins proved to be the better fit as the group's closest shot to a frontwoman with Left Eye much too unpredictable and Chilli a bit nondescript. With T on lead duties, the group kept a cool and distinctive edge (no other female could sing as gravelly low as her), but could still sell pop songs like this without sounding like they were obviously trying to cross over.

Finding a less aggressive way to position themselves as strong, independent women unashamed to express their own sensual desires, "Baby..." laid out the rules for being their boyfriend. Yes, great sex is a must, but he should also be able to deal with their minds ("Cause a girl like me/ Won't stand for less/ I require plenty conversation with my sex"). And best believe that if he wasn't up to the plate, there would be plenty of worthy contenders anxious for their own shot. That's actual and factual.

Showing a versatility that would become one of their most adored assets, TLC's feminine take on the BBD sound (effortlessly blending hip hop, R&B and pop) introduced a new type of girl group whose limits seemed endless. But even with that in mind, no one would be prepared for the greatness the next album would present.

Best Moment: Chilli's honey-toned vocal juxtaposed against T-Boz' grainy growl.

TLC - Baby Baby Baby
Uploaded by picotter

DL: "Baby Baby Baby" (YFH)

En Vogue "Giving Him Something He Can Feel"

Album: Funky Divas (Eastwest)
Songwriters: Curtis Mayfield
Hit #1: August 1st, 1992 (1 Week)

What straight male didn't "stand at attention" at the video image of these four sexy women, seductively clad in tight red dresses that highlighted their every curve? The all-men audience in the clip obviously couldn't get enough, wiping their sweaty brows and loosening up their ties as the quartet took on an Aretha Franklin untouchable to make it a number one hit all over again.

"Giving Him Something He Can Feel", penned and produced by the legendary Curtis Mayfield, was originally found in the 1976 film, Sparkle, starring Lonette McKee and Irene Cara as members of a Motown-styled girl group. For the soundtrack, vocal duties were handed off to Aretha Franklin, and with the support of Mayfield's expert musicianship and the backing vocakists, the Kitty Haywood Singers, this tune helped rescue the career of the Queen of Soul who was in an artistic slump at the time, spending four weeks at #1.

Mayfield's maestro work echoed soul orchestration at it's finest: a creeping bassline and ticking snare set the late-night tone before the arrangement reaches it's bulging peak with brassy horns, bluesy guitar curls and simmering strings which Aretha's arresting gospel chops gloriously stew in. Dismissing the notion that her young age means she doesn't have the ability to fulfill her beau's deepest cravings, Franklin murders this churning soul tesimonial for Black females everywhere, proving she's all woman where he needs it the most while the Haywood Singers ecstatically cheer her on.

Cut to sixteen years later and the ladies of En Vogue are preaching out to the sisters the same rousing speech, but whereas Aretha's version was loose and frisky, EV are all about vampy sex appeal. Though no match for the Queen, Dawn Robinson oozes a poise and sophistication that's nail-bitingly arousing, nearly teasing in it's earlier moments, until she can't help but explode against her groupmates dazzling, uniformed harmonies. With it's classic girl group structure and estrogen anthemic power, the song was the perfect vehicle for En Vogue to strut their stuff to in the '90's, re-confirming that no one else could come close to them as the definitive female R&B ensemble of the era.

En Vogue - Giving Him Something
Uploaded by Dante35

DL: En Vogue's "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" (YFH)



DL: Aretha's "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" (YFH)

Mary J Blige "You Remind Me"

Album:
Songwriters: Dave Hall and Eric Milteer
Hit #1: July 25th, 1992 (1 Week)

Following her hook-girl stint on Father MC's "I'll Do 4 U", the future crowned Queen of Hip-Hop-Soul made her first solo appearance on this Dave Hall-produced cut originally found on the Strictly Business soundtrack.

It's amazing to hear how green Miss Blige sounds on this doe-eyed take of deja vu romance ("You remind me of a love I once knew"). Her voice is youthful yet emotive, often times pushing out runs that waver on awkwardly flat notes before they reach a transcending soar. Still, the joy found in her performance was obviously clear. She was meant to be in the recording booth, and on this early cut, you could really hear the Yonkers tyke gleefully living out a dream she probably never imagined ever coming true no matter how much she might have secretly pined after it.

The Puffy-directed remix is what really made the tune come alive, though, with Blige sounding much more like a star on the stronger, revised hook and a killer vocal that opened the doors for comparisons to established divas like Aretha and Chaka.

A strong cut on it's own, "You Remind Me" doesn't even hint at the roller coaster of emotions Blige would later build a career off of, but it did pinpoint a precious moment when Mary had finally been rescued from the lost hopes and despair of the projects she was raised in. The Queen had entered the building...

MARY J BLIGE - You remind me
Uploaded by welcomeback

DL: "You Remind Me (Original)" (YFH)

Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson with BBD and Ralph Tresvant "The Best Things In Life Ar Free"

Album: Mo' Money Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Perspective/ A&M)
Songwriters: Buddy DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson
Hit #1: July 18th, 1992 (1 Week)

This fun-in-the-sun summer hit from the Damon Wayans/ Stacey Dash comedy Mo' Money somehow made a winning team out of vocal opposites Luther and Janet while wrangling in a mini-New Edition reunion (Chalk it up to producer Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' celebrity reach).

Luther had dabbled in disco as a ghost singer for Change ("A Lover's Holiday", "Glow of Love") and Janet was known for her bubbly R&B-pop confections, so "The Best Things..." near-corny dance gloss was no stranger to neither singer. Still, hearing them together on the same song was a curioso event (the fact that they didn't appear in the music video only justified the fact that they didn't make a convincing "Crazy in love with eachother" couple), and even more strange was that the tune's entire existence is rarely mentioned in either act's catalogue to this day.

Jackson's airy falsetto ranks extremely anonymous here (you can barely understand what she's saying), but it fits in well with the song's neon glow. Luther has more of a presence, his sturdy runs grounding the gleeful spirit of it all, and when the two break out in harmonies, a magical moment is created. Beyond the appeal of hearing Bell Biv Devoe and Ralph Tresvant together again, their rap cameo is pointless, a Heavy D-inspired bit that honestly could have been done by any "studio emcee".

Nominated for the Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group Grammy, "The Best Things In Life Are Free" wouldn't even register as a footnote in Jackson's career, but it did give it's other contributors their final shot at the #1 spot (The featured members of New Edition would have to reunite with both Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill before they would reach the penthouse again).

Best Moment: When Luther and Janet make the most of their duet with their lovable, melded performance in the second verse (1:40)

Arrested Development "Tennessee"

Album: 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... (Chrysalis)
Songwriters: Speech
Hit #1: July 11th, 1992 (1 Week)

Before you had The Fugees and Southern rap acts Outkast and Goodie Mob (and offshoot solo projects from Andre 3000 and Cee-Lo) pushing the boundaries of what hip hop could be, this ragtag assembly of spoken word poets, singers, emcees and musicians were awaking the industry to the march of a new kind of alternative rap. Blending a Native Tongues aesthetic with Sly & The Family Stone vision and a sound that crossed a gamut of classic musical genres, the rootsy group were instantly marked as the positive antithesis to the gangsta rap world and their arrival was met with much admiration from beyond the typical rap fan sect.

The group's biggest hit was found in their breakout debut, "Tennessee". The song was driven by frontman Speech's striking inner tribulations during a low point in his life ("Lord I've really been real stressed/ Down and out, losing ground/ Although I am Black and proud/ Problems got me pessimistic"). His soliloquy to the Man Above to offer him some guidance out of his depression leads him to "walk the roads my forefathers walked" in Tennessee. Through this spiritual connection with his ancestors, he finds some answers ("Now I see the importance of history/ Why people be in the mess that they be") but is left with even more questions ("The ultimate truth started to get blurry/ For some reasons it had to be").

The backing track alleviated the depth of the subject matter with a burly boom-bap beat and the infectious camaraderie of his troupe, not to mention the soulful yearnings of future solo act Dionne Farris ("I Know", "Hopeless") towards the end.

Arrested Development's engaging mix of conscious rap, folky soul-funk and and live/ sampled musical textures offered a hope to where the future of hip hop was leading. They were a critic's dream, and even more surprisingly a major pop success, awarded with numerous end-of-year accolades from the media alongside million-plus sales and even a couple Grammy Awards (Best Rap Album, Best New Artist). By their next studio effort, though, 1994's heavily jazz/ Afrocentric Zingalamaduni, their hold on the mass public and music critics had reached an end due to an abandonment of hooks to offset all the intellect. No longer able to compete with the gangsta rap dynasties of the day and internal drama forcing members off on their own path, AD officially split apart in the mid-90's (the group would eventually reunite, sans Speech, in the new millennium), but their promising, brief stay in the limelight remained one of the decade's most amazing musical success stories.

Best Moment: The memorable intro affections of the title line (0:00)



DL: "Tennessee" (YFH)

Lionel Richie "Do It To Me"

Album: Back To Front (Motown)
Songwriters: Lionel Richie
Hit #1: July 4th, 1992 (1 Week)

So what was Lionel Richie, the most shlockiest pop-soul artist to come out of the 1980's, doing at the top of the R&B chart in the summer of 1992? After spending years as one of the biggest artists (and most in-demand songwriter/ producers) in the world, Richie took a much-appreciated break from the limelight following 1986's Dancing On The Ceiling. Just as the public had begun to embrace a happy world without him, Motown collected his biggest records for the greatest hits compilation Back To Front, featuring "Do It To Me", amongst the three all-new entries from the multi-Grammy winner.

Even with the six year hiatus, Richie hadn't lost his touch as far as crafting good ballads (As corny as they might seem now, tunes like "Hello" and "Say You Say Me" weren't big hits for nothing). With it's swooning sax and background harmonies reminiscent of his past group work as a Commodore, "Do It To Me" captures Lionel in more of the soulful vein many felt he had begun to lose as his solo career furthered. There's a sleekness to which he professes his love to an ex he wants back in his world, sliding lines like "Girl you're such a bad thing/ Standing there all alone/ Looking so good to me baby" that would melt away the ice from any woman's cold heart.

As is his signature, Richie doesn't waste energy on pointless vocal theatrics, relying on the eased delivery that made him such a great crossover success. That laidback approach allows him to weave in and around the sultry backing with such a finesse that even if you wanted to hate the man for his past soft rock crimes, you couldn't because "Do It To Me" was that soothing.

The single marked his fifth and last solo trip to the top of the R&B chart, but Richie wasn't completely down and out from the scene. His work was more sporadic but he continued chucking out gold and platinum albums, recently returning to radio in the summer of 2006 with the Stargate-produced, Grammy nominated Top 20 hit "I Call It Love".

Michael Jackson "In The Closet"

Album: Dangerous (Epic)
Songwriters: Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley
Hit #1: June 27th, 1992 (1 Week)

Before "In The Closet", when was the last time Michael Jackson had really sounded sexy, like he had nothing but naughty thoughts (not involving the children or...uh, monkeys) in his mind. You can't count "Dirty Diana" or "Billie Jean", because they only proved he was aware of the steely seduction of others. I'm talkin' about when Jackson wasn't playing a victim, but the pursuer with panty-dropping his main goal. Maybe all the way back with "Rock With You" in which his slinkiest vocal told of doing some girl to a disco soundtrack until the early morn. No matter what metamorphosis his physical features were going through at the time, Jackson really hadn't sounded his most nastiest until "In The Closet".

Using his celebrity status to get Princess Stephanie of Monaco to play the anonymous femme fatale making his dreams soaking wet, Jackson allowed Teddy Riley's lean porno-funk groove get him to unleash his most libidinous desires. In describing their unearthly chemistry, the Gloved One explains how rare of a force it is: "You cannot cleave it/ Or put it in the furnace/ You cannot wet it/ You cannot burn it". Whatever you say Mike, but it was clear that he had an understanding of how to handle the tender bits of the female anatomy ("You have to soothe it/ You can't neglect it/ You can't abuse it...").

While Steph spits some mystical gobbledy-gook about "the truth of lust/ woman to man" urging them to keep their dalliances under wraps, Jackson can't contain his fire any longer, bursting through on the falsetto hook: "There's something about you baby/ That makes me want to give it to you", like he can't wait for them to be in the safe, private confines of the bedroom. "It's just desire/ I really love it," he justifies, to which she fully gives in, "If it's aching/ You have to rub it." GO ON HEAD WITH YOUR BAD SELF MICHAEL!

The video, beautifully shot black & white style by famed photographer Herb Ritts, featured a ponytail-ed Jackson bumping and grinding against a hoochie-outfitted Naomi Campbell in a humid desert setting. He doesn't really connect with her as much as we would've liked (instead of kissing her, he'd rather vogue in doorways), but it was still a kick to get MJ being so overtly sexual both on record and film.



DL: "In The Closet" (YFH)

R. Kelly & Public Announcement "Honey Love"

Album: Born Into The 90's (Jive)
Songwriters: R. Kelly
Hit #1: June 13th, 1992 (2 Weeks)

And finally the 'R' in R&B arrives.

Back in 1992, you would have never believed that R. Kelly would go on to be one of the most prolific cats in R&B history. Flanked by what could be taken as his version of The Pips, the backup singing and dancing collective Public Announcement, R. Kelly wasn't really doing anything that we hadn't seen before from the likes of Keith Sweat, Bobby Brown and Jodeci. The group's first single, the #7 charter "She's Got That Vibe" (remember the flashlight-attached head gear from the music video), was nothing but a tribute to Guy (Aaron Hall was a major influence on Kelly's look and sound), while follow-up "Honey Love" borrowed the street-tough romancing of K-Ci, JoJo and the gang.

"Honey Love", the first of many penthouse-reaching singles from Robert, offered an early glimpse of what would be Kelly's favorite topic: sex. It would be awhile before Kelly would fully showcase his most freakiest urges, but even here he was already using metaphors to describe his bedmates ("Just like a lollipop/ You're so sweet/ And your body's like a lemon drop/ Sure taste good to me") over a track that pushed and pulled with an erotic pulse. Standard slow jam fare, "Honey Love" milked the surrounding trends at the time and managed to find a little room left in a crowded niche. Who would have known what the artist would have in store for us over the next fifteen years, both onstage and off?



DL: "Honey Love" (YFH)

Jodeci "Come & Talk To Me"

Album: Forever My Lady (Uptown/ MCA)
Songwriters: DeVante Swing
Hit #1: May 30th, 1992 (2 Weeks)

Their third #1 in a row following "Forever My Lady" and "Stay", "Come & Talk To Me" proved that even simple sentiment like "I really like you" sounded ten times better coming from the voices of these four men. Stylistically, it doesn't deviate from the group's hit formula: K Ci & JoJo soaring on the lead front, with the other members jumping in on a solid soulful hook, while DeVante pumps out a fairly anonymous beat that straddles the line between jeep bumper and midnight romancer. Looking back, it's a little surprising to hear how sweet the boys were on their first joints. Their thugged out image and raucous public behavior would make you think all their material fell in the "Freek'n You" vein, but their heretofore singles had all been fairly PG-13 rated, even with Dalvin's whispered vocal bits.

More notable was the sexier remix, one of the earlier tastes of Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs reinventing a song for wider appeal. The opening bit is all pretty, until Diddy breaks from the piano backing and throws in a classic hip hop drum break, birthing his vision for how 90's R&B should sound.



DL: "Come & Talk To Me (Remix)" (YFH)

En Vogue "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"

Album: Funky Divas (East West)
Songwriters: Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy
Hit #1: May 16th, 1992 (2 Weeks)

En Vogue premiered to high acclaim as four lead singers with no-nonsense vigor and cover girl fashion taste, revitalizing the girl group sound in a modern-day hip hop-bred packaging. Their debut album, Born To Sing, scored no less than three #1's and made them instant R&B/ pop favorites. What else was this quartet to do but come back stronger, brassier and sexier on their sophomore joint?

Funky Divas saw Dawn, Cindy, Terry and Maxine forging the Black pop of the future, seamlessly juggling the worlds of pop, soul, hip hop, dance and even rock with a refreshing female empowerment slant. First single "My Lovin'", an undeniable monster that dropped like a major event in the late spring of 1992, was the perfect lead-off joint, amplifying everything the girls had succeeded with on the first album to world-dominating levels.

On lead turns, Maxine and Dawn sound like tigresses, laughing at the pitiful reconciliation attempts of an ex. "Now you talkin' like you made a change/ The more you talk, the more things sound the same", an amused Maxine sings, later adding "Save your breath/ You won't get very far." Dawn, always perceived as the group rebel, lives up to her feistiness with an aggressive performance as Max' best friend, enjoying the exchange unfolding before her eyes. "What makes you think you can just walk back into her life?/ Without a good fight," she pipes in, getting a rise out of him making a fool of himself as he begs to be let back in the door. The chorus taunts "No you're never gonna get it", a powerful display of strong women refusing to get caught up again in the embrace of a loser, single handedly launching the "talk to the hand" era that would dominate daytime TV.

Even without the lead vocals, "My Lovin'" harbors an epic production that destined it's rise to the top of the charts. A ringing "hip hop & b" backing seasoned with jazzy flute accents and effervescent doo-wop harmonies ("Oooooooh BOP!") defiantly placed within the groove. And just when things looked like they had peaked, some radio announcer cuts in with "...And now it's time for a breakdown" and the ladies hit you with a classic bridge in which the flawless marriage of their four voices bring the entire world to a screeching halt.

Men who had preyed on the vulnerabilities of women as a hobby sulked around the globe. They had now lost their hold forever.

Best Moment: A memorable spoken word interjection ("I give to the needy and not the greedy (MMM MMM That's right!)") (2:47)



DL: "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (YFH)

Lisa Stansfield "All Woman"

Album: Real Love (Arista)
Songwriters: Ian Devaney, Andy Morris and Lisa Stansfield
Hit #1: May 9th, 1992

Trying to come close to the extraordinary worldwide success and critical acclaim of Affection was sure to be a near-impossible task so when Stansfield dropped her sophomore album Real Love in 1991 and it wasn't the flawless package of it's predecessor, the disappointment wasn't as heavy. It might not have met the high expectations she had built the first time around, but it was greatly understood that Real Love wasn't that bad of an album, managing to squeak out the rich ballad "All Woman" as Stansfield's last #1 hit in the States.

Told in detailed prose, "All Woman" centers on the strain that comes with keeping a relationship afloat while dealing with the stress of a job. Office duties bearing heavy on the husband's mind, he comes home doling out demeaning insults at his wife ("Babe you look a mess/ You look dowdy in that dress") leaving her in tears. She responds that she's going through the same troubles as he, the female-empowering chorus assuredly stating: "I may not be a lady/ But I'm all woman/ From Monday to Sunday I work harder than you know".

Refusing to stop at being a typical male bashing anthem, "All Woman" fleshes out the storyline further with the husband quickly regretting his behavior ("He holds her and hangs his head in shame/ He doesn't see her like he used to"). To the quiet, yet impassioned strings sliding across the sparse ambiance, Stansfield sums up the couple's heartbreaking longing for the support they used to have eachother, wailing "So sweet the love that used to be". But as the song fades out, she ends things on a promising note: "We can be sweet again", bookending "All Woman" on an endearing path to understanding and rekindled fire between the two.

Following Real Love, Stansfield's presence on American radio would be greatly minimized as hip hop and edgier R&B pushed her sophisticated sound to the fringes of State-side popularity (she would score a lone Top 40 hit in 1997 with her cover of idol Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up"). In the UK, though, she would remain a consistent hitmaker for years, later taking on film and stage.

Lisa Stansfield - All Woman
Uploaded by val6210

DL: "All Woman" (YFH)

Aaron Hall "Don't Be Afraid"

Album: Juice-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (MCA)
Songwriters: Aaron Hall
Hit #1: April 25th, 1992 (2 Weeks)

Many guy groups came and went from the 1980's to the early '90's, but very few made as much of an influential impact as Guy. The Virginian trio were the most important aspect of the new jack swing movement, mainly thanks to Teddy Riley behind the boards, supplying the group with a new type of funk that made everything that came before in R&B instantly feel old-fashioned. Primary vocalist Aaron Hall was the perfect partner to Riley's beats, his Charlie Wilson-mimicking growl in a constant straining to wring as much soul and emotion out of whatever he was given, no matter the tempo. After selling over three million with their first two albums, 1988's self-titled classic and it's solid 1990 followup The Future, internal strife led to a sudden split in 1991.

It was inevitable that Hall would go solo eventually, and the frontman tested the waters out as one of the few R&B entries in the hip hop-based soundtrack to the Tupac Shakur urban drama Juice. An intense, street-hewned love song (it hauntingly opens with the children's prayer "Now I lay me down to sleep..."), "Don't Be Afraid" cushioned his gritty vocals amidst the hardened big beats he had grown accustomed to with Riley. "Rest your head on my tattooed chest," he sings, calming her down for the thug lovin' she's about to receive.

"Don't Be Afraid" would be remixed and featured on Hall's 1994 debut album, Truth. Many balked at this move, but found solace in that album's major hit "I Miss You", a tearjerker ballad remembered for it's moving music video in which his love dies during a troubled childbirth. Hall would continue to record solo albums and even a 1999 reunion effort with Guy, yet ironically would be overshadowed by R. Kelly, whose entire career (especially in those early years) was much in debt to Hall's persona (all the way down to the shaved head and sunglasses look).

AARON HALL - Don't Be Afraid
Uploaded by capitainfunkk

DL: "Don't Be Afraid" (YFH)

Glenn Jones "Here I Go Again"

Album: Here I Go Again (Atlantic)
Songwriters: Glenn Jones
Hit #1: April 18th, 1992

A Floridian-born gospel singer who turned towards the secular in the 1980's, Glenn Jones found modest success amongst the Quiet Storm male balladeers of the day but would only reach the chart apex once with 1992's "Here I Go Again".

Hearing this reminds me of something you would hear in a Tyler Perry play, maybe it's the fact that his voice was obviously honed in the church. With that background, it's a given that Jones would be a strong vocalist. It's amazing to think how many ballads of this sort were still generating so much airplay at the time. Here, Jones hits every note with an affirming conviction (you can feel his innate joy from his performance), but the production and self-written lyrics (about falling in love with the same person over and over again) feel a tad generic. Though this had to have had a major audience, it feels incredibly dated compared to recent #1's, signifying a staid lull Black music was going through at the time.

Vanessa Williams "Save The Best For Last"

Album: The Comfort Zone (Wing)
Songwriters: Wendy Waldman, Jon Lind and Phil Galdston
Hit #1: March 28th, 1992 (3 Weeks)

"Save The Best For Last" and it's preceding single, the sensual Euro R&B-tinged #2 hit "The Comfort Zone", took Vanessa Williams out of the dance-pop realm and saw her successfully transition into more of a sophisticated songstress. The move might have paved the way for some boring material, but it did help earn her some industry credibility, including six Grammy nominations for The Comfort Zone album alone.

The well-arranged and beautifully-penned "Save The Best For Last" was the type of signature ballad every female singer longed to have. What young belle looking for that uber-smash could resist interpreting such finely written trife as "Sometimes the snow comes down in June/ Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon"? Never an in-your-face type of soul singer, Williams paced, gentle phrasings add to the song's preciousness despite the deliciously biting undertone of the lyrics.

"Save..." is aimed at an ex-boyfriend with a history of stomping all over her heart then begging for another chance when he realized he had it best with her. "All of the nights you came to me/ When some silly girl had set you free," she recalls with a sigh, later adding "I wondered what was wrong with you." Too bad the chorus will leave you wondering what the hell is wrong with her, as his umpteenth shot at a reconciliation once again reduces her to a forgiving sap, foolishly willing to let him back in her life. Didn't this girl watch Ricki Lake? Or at least any of her friends? Somebody should of let her know "once a snake, always a snake".

Nevertheless, "Save The Best For Last" lodged itself atop both the pop and R&B charts, scoring a Gold certification and becoming the biggest hit of Williams' musical career. At the Grammy's, it grabbed nods for Record of The Year, Song of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal. Somewhat oddly, the song even became a sort of holiday standard throughout the '90's. Because nothing says Christmastime like a cheating man whimpering at his woman's doorstep.



DL: "Save The Best For Last" (YFH)

Prince & The New Power Generation "Diamonds And Pearls"

Album: Diamonds and Pearls (Paisley Park)
Songwriters: Prince
Hit #1: March 21st, 1992 (1 Week)

A more skilled supporting troupe than '80's back-up band The Revolution, Prince constructed the New Power Generation to help ground him back in his R&B/ funk roots. Co-credited for the 1991 album Diamonds & Pearls, the collective not only helped bring him back in demand with urban audiences, they also allowed Prince to finally acknowledge the inescapable presence of hip hop which was slowly eating away R&B's influence as the prime Black music force.

Released after the erotic JB shout-out "Get Off" and the cool-as-cucumber pop nugget "Cream", the title track put away all the XXX-rated banter to focus on some real romance. Expressing utter devotion ("This will be the day/ That U will hear me say/ That I will never run away"), Prince is all poised and sincere over a pristine soul-pop arrangement that's kicked in the butt with rock guitar theatrics and thunderous drum work. Once the all-powerful vocals of Rosie Gaines come into play, though, it's her floor. The singer stood as one of his best choice collaborators ever, her epic delivery instilling a cutting soul diva edge in anything she graced. Of course it wouldn't be Prince if he didn't throw in some sense of weirdness. Here it was found in the hook to which he asks "If I gave you diamonds and pearls/ Would you be a happy boy or a girl?", a gender-bending twist that was probably utilized to give the song some universal quality, but was better served as a wink-wink to his perceived bi-sexuality.

His final R&B #1, "Diamonds and Pearls" would also be his last major hit before the infamous name change and self-satisfying decision to play the type of music he wanted to play, whether radio or audiences chose to come along for the ride or not (For the most part, they didn't). Within the next decade, the man now known by an un-pronounceable symbol shuffled around as an independent artist, releasing a slew of multi-disc albums and outtake collections that mostly catered to diehards and collectors. The man had in no shape or form lost his skills, but the public became less patient and interested with his penchant for long form jazz instrumentals and religious-centric lyricism. After finally re-claiming his moniker at the turn of the millennium, Prince staged a welcomed commercial comeback that would re-emphasize his appeal as one of music's toughest talents.

Prince - Diamonds & Pearls
Uploaded by PrinceNPG

DL: "Diamonds & Pearls" (YFH)

Michael Jackson "Remember The Time"

Album: Dangerous (Epic)
Songwriters: Bernard Belle, Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley
Hit #1: March 7th, 1992 (2 Weeks)

Now that he was done and over with the heavy task of following up his classic Thriller album, Michael saw it fit to reinvent himself a bit. He ditched Quincy Jones, who had begun to show signs of un-hipness on the hardened, mechanized production of Bad, and turned to new jack swing founder Teddy Riley to help give the Dangerous album some of that new-school urban swing.

The album arrived in the midst of a troubling public persona brought on by the odd actions of his own (including announcing himself as the "King of Pop") and damaging exaggerated depictions of him in the media and people were anxiously wondering how this would affect his music. Following the release of the epic dance number "Black or White", a blistering fusion of pop, rock and rap that angrily attacked racial injustice, Jackson needed something a little less over-blown to appease fans interested more in the rich grooves of his past than the maniacal mega-pop message joints.

A throwback to simplified soul joints like "PYT" and "Rock With You", "Remember The Time" perfectly summarized what Jackson and Riley could bring to the table together and proved that Mike could still deliver a fine R&B number without all the over-the-top bells and whistles.

With slick synths and a frantic rhythmic kick forging a breezy post-disco undertone, Jackson thinks back to the fun and innocence of he and his girl's early courting days ("Do you remember/ How we used to talk?/ We'd stay on the phone at night till dawn/ Do you remember/ All the things we said?/ Like 'I love you so I'll never let you go'"). His delivery is as smooth as the production, only interrupted on the verses through his signature idiosyncrasies (Those hiccups and "hee"'s), but in the final third, his vocal has evolved into this over-determined strain, spewing out unrecognizable tongues and highly emotive cries ORDERING his girl to remember how happy things used to before she started tripping ("WHAT ABOUT US GIRL?").

Jackson accompanied the single with another celebrity-filled, big budget music video. It incorporated an action/ adventure-meets-romance storyline, big Ancient Egyptian sets (acknowledging Michael was still aware of his Black roots despite the bleached skin and permed hair), another heavily influential choreography break and cameos from Eddie Murphy, Iman and Magic Johnson to become one of his best clips yet.

His first R&B #1 since 1988's Bad afterthought "Another Part of Me", "Remember The Time" landed as one of his greatest musical contributions of the 90's.

Best Moment: The explosive finish: displaying a soft/ hard dichotomy of his clenched teeth ad-libs against a molasses flowing repeated chorus (2:25)



DL: "Remember The Time" (YFH)

Gerald Levert (with Eddie Levert) "Baby Hold On To Me"

Album: Private Line (East West)
Songwriters: Gerald Levert and Edwin Nicholas
Hit #1: February 29th, 1992 (1 Week)

It would take years before Gerald Levert earned respect on his own away from the constant comparisons to his legendary father Eddie. Their voices were so similar that when Levert made their chart debut in the mid-80's, many thought that The O'Jays had either changed their name or that Eddie was fronting some new group. After years of fans prodding the father and son into working together, Gerald finally cooked up this duet for his Private Line album and quickly earned his second consecutive #1.

A well-produced, no-frills R&B ballad, "Baby Hold On To Me" effectively shines a spotlight on the two powerful singers trading the mic back and forth. Hearing both men blasting their rugged tenors together is a touching display of family solidarity, especially in the final ad-lib heavy section of the song. Whereas events like these tend to be wasted on material that isn't as strong as the performers involved deserve, and the Leverts' could have ventured down the sappy "I love you daddy/ I love you son" route, "Baby..." is an even better treat because it stands tough as a solid R&B tune without the credits attached.

Response to "Baby Hold On To Me" would be so huge that both men would hook up again in 1995, this time for the entire album Father & Son. 2007 would see a second duet album, Something To Talk About, posthumously released following Gerald's passing in the Fall of 2006.

Boyz II Men "Uhh Ahh"

Album: Cooleyhighharmony (Motown)
Songwriters: Michael Bivins, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris
Hit #1: February 22nd, 1992 (1 Week)

The Boyz may have made romance sound all sweet on records like "I'll Make Love To You", but on their often forgotten second #1 "Uhh Ahh" they were oddly positioned amongst the "freak you down" crowd.

Blame Michael Bivins, co-songwriter and producer, who gives the nerdy foursome Playgirl makeovers, pulling the ladies in with a sultry, slow-grinding bass line and playful keyboard tickle and lyrics that blueprint their ways in bringing their lovers to an unforgettable peak of ecstasy ("I can tell when I reach down deep inside/ You show it when I call out your name"). As the hook was nothing but wordless, orgasmic moans, this wasn't nearly as racy as some of the stuff Bivins' Bell Biv DeVoe collective had churned out, but for the game Boyz it definitely showed that they weren't as goody-goody as we had been led to believe. In retrospect, given how BIIM would come to be recognized, it's a bit shocking to hear this earlier bid to align themselves to the raunchier aspects of R&B.

Best Moment: The harmonized a capella countdown and bass singer's Michael McCary suggestive line "Injection follows" that opens the track (0:00)

Boyz II Men - Uhh Ahh
Uploaded by temptedtotouch

DL: "Uhh Ahh" (YFH)

Jodeci "Stay"

Album: Forever My Lady (Uptown/ MCA)
Songwriters: DeVante Swing
Hit #1: February 8th, 1992 (2 Weeks)

Three months after setting the R&B world afire with their Al. B Sure-assisted debut "Forever My Lady", Jodeci reclaimed what had become a comfortable perch atop the singles chart with their second single, "Stay".

Written and produced by their own in-house hitmaker in groupmate DeVante Swing, "Stay" continued "Forever..."'s use of honest emotions brought to fruition with extended gospel-flared vocal workouts. Interspersed with Dalvin's smooth, spoken word nibblets (his main puprose seemed to be relegated to the nude chest-baring sex symbol role), he provides the build-up for powerhouse siblings K-Ci & Jojo doing their best to make soul beggin' sound cool again. Apologizing for being the cause of a break-up, the boys strain their throats to make their women realize that it would do both sides a huge benefit to just get back together. If she gets even a minor notion that it might not be a good idea, they will beat her upside the head with their combined vocal strengths until she gives in.

These boys don't even need verses as much as a strong hook to repeat over and over, ad-libbing their way through DeVante's creamy soul concoctions like they are testifying at the pulpit. Poor Keith Sweat was probably really perspiring after hearing this, wondering why he couldn't move people in the same way anymore.



DL: "Stay" (YFH)

Keith Sweat "Keep It Comin'"

Album: Keep It Comin' (Elektra)
Hit #1: January 25th, 1992 (2 Weeks)

By Keith's third album, 1991's Keep It Comin', Sweat had regressed to simply re-warming his proven shtick. The title track might have managed to hit the #1 spot, staying there for two weeks, but it offered nothing we hadn't heard from him before. A slickened slow jam with cliched player advances ("I want to be more than a friend," he emotes), "Keep It Comin'" found Sweat running in place creatively and would mark the first of many valleys his career would make over the next few albums.

Tevin Campbell "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do"

Album: T.E.V.I.N. (Qwest/ Warner Bros.)
Songwriters: Tevin Campbell, Sally Jo Dakota and Narada Michael Walden
Hit #1: January 18th, 1992 (1 Week)

With an early career push from Prince and Quincy Jones and a young age that belied his soulful performances, Tevin Campbell was going to be a sure shot hit at any rate. His 1991 debut album only solidified that no-brainer prediction with material no fourteen year old boy should have been able to ace so well.

"Tell Me What You Want Me To Do", another Narada Michael Walden-backed smash, is a fine R&B big ballad brought to life by Campbell's trilly vocal. With perfected runs that make brave leaps into falsetto peaks, it's almost like Tevin was internalizing how the song would sound if Whitney, an obvious influence, was the one singing it. Lyrically, what initially comes across as a showing of BFF support suddenly turns into this devotion of eternal romance, Campbell begging on his knees for the girl not to give up on their relationship. His effeminate reading isn't all that convincing as far as making him a supreme lover man, but with chops as powerful as what he displays her, the awe-struck nature of who the voice was coming out of easily overrided such obvious mis-labelling.

Best Moment: When Campbell goes for the gold on one hair-raising falsetto note (3:54)



DL: "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do" (YFH)

Shanice "I Love Your Smile"

Album: Inner Child (Motown)
Songwriters: Jack Baker, Bernard Jackson, Narada Michael Walden and Shanice Wilson
Hit #1: December 21st, 1991 (4 Weeks)

Even before signing her first record deal at the age of eleven, Shanice Wilson was already a showbiz vet, tackling both television and the stage as well as the pre-American Idol talent show phenom "Star Search". Scoring two top ten hits from her 1987 debut Discovery, a move to Motown in the 1990's helped lead to another major success for the historic label, then-enjoying a renaissance of sorts with the huge sales impact of recent signees Boyz II Men.

1991's Inner Child paired the dazzling female vocalist with producer Narada Michael Walden, no stranger to working with big voices (Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Regina Belle, Natalie Cole). If Shanice had been passed over as kiddie fluff before, one listen to Inner Child's jaw-dropping remake of Minnie Ripperton's "Lovin' You" and she was instantly being associated with the greats. Beyond her vocal range, a lot of Shanice's appeal came from the fact that she seemed like such a sweet person, a personality facet that was really pushed to the forefront on her smash single "I Love Your Smile".

From it's infectious wordless hook ("do do do do do do do-do") to the fact that the only thing that lights up the banalities of her ordinary life is the thought of her man's grin, "I Love Your Smile" is all good girl pastiche. The rap break she performs with the same overdramatized honesty of a stage actor is harmless, cheeky fun (if not a bit dated sounding) and the giggles she unleashes all over the track's sax-embedded groove personifies cute. While her peers were taking R&B down skankier directions, Shanice kept her morals in check, only hinting at some sort of sexual explicitness by copping to buying a black mini-dress for her man. Bubbly and pure, "I Love Your Smile" perfectly fixated Shanice as the late-teenager/ young adult she was at the time, and the public couldn't get enough of it.

Spending four weeks at #1, the most any other R&B song had done since Michael Jackson four years earlier with "The Way You Make Me Feel", "I Love Your Smile" ushered in 1992 on a very happy note, scoring a Grammy nomination and alluding that we might have another Whitney on our hands. Of course that wasn't to be. Shanice struggled for much of the decade to find a fraction of "Smile"'s success in between becoming a wife and mother, only managing a brief resurgence in 1999 with the #4 hit "When I Close My Eyes" before venturing down a more lucrative, albeit less promoted, indie path. Despite not having too many hits of her own during this time, Shanice still stayed busy, blesing numerous tunes as a background vocalist for acts like Toni Braxton, Mary J Blige and Usher.



DL: "I Love Your Smile" (YFH)

Gerald Levert "Private Line"

Album: Private Line (East West)
Songwriters: Gerald Levert
Hit #1: December 14th, 1991 (1 Week)

For his solo debut single, Gerald turned to the rich sounds of the Euro-R&B scene. As American R&B grew more and more digital, overseas, real instruments continued to bear more of a stronger presence. So "Private Line" offers a seductive groove championed by smooth piano touches, staccato horn chirps and a brisk rhythm track to up the tempo a bit. Privy to ballads during his time with Levert, such a backdrop would give the semblance of a slow jam, just with a little spike added to afford him more daytime airplay.

The self-written tune follows Gerald just beginning to get over a broken heart, when the same woman who destroyed his life ("You said I was too deep/ You said I was too serious") starts to show inkling for a reconciliation. Getting too much of a kick out of the irony, Levert refuses to fall backward so easily, assuring her that if she really wants him back, she's going to work hard at it. The clever hook has him offering her his service line since she's just about a year too late to be getting his private number.

Often times criticized for not having enough musical imagination to back up his outstanding vocals and magnetic stage presence, "Private Line" was a rare occurrence when Levert helped let some of his personality bleed through into the studio.

Best Moment: Right before the hook starts, Gerald jumps out of character to push attention to his own support team: "And my background sing/ My background sing" (0:59)



DL: "Private Line" (YFH)

Bebe & CeCe WInans (with Mavis Staples) "I'll Take You There"

Album: Different Lifestyles (Capitol)
Songwriters: Alvertis Isbell
Hit #1: December 7th, 1991 (1 Week)

The Winans siblings achieved their second #1 R&B hit with this modern-inflected remake of The Staple Singers 1972 signature "I'll Take You There". An ad-lib heavy jamming session that bubbles with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section's fervent instrumentation as Mavis' husky alto leads everyone to a place where "ain't no smiling faces/ Lying to the races", the original's free-spirited upliftment kept their church roots in place despite the controversial move for more of a secular treatment.

Like Quincy Jones' synthesized recreation of The Brothers Johnson's "I'll Be Good To You", Bebe & Cece's cover version lacks the soul factor in it's keyboard-laden production and paper-thin drum machine beats. And whoever opted on embedding a slight Jamaican kick into the proceedings only helped in giving this number more of a corny, "Sesame Street" feel. The tinny beats don't take away from the performances from either of the Winans', though, as the duo's grin-stamped vocals encircle eachother in Him-adoring glee.

Following this second ride at the top ("...There" hit #1 only a couple months after it's predecessor single, "Addictive Love"), Bebe & Cece would score their last Top 10 R&B hit with "It's OK". One studio album and a greatest hits collection later, the brother-and-sister gospel act would officially announce they were parting ways to focus on eachother's solo careers.

Best Moment: A final act appearance from the always show-stopping Mavis Staples (2:25)

Rude Boys "Are You Lonely For Me"

Album: Rude Awakening (Atlantic)
Hit #1: November 30th, 1991 (1 Week)

Rude Boys' second #1 "Are You Lonely For Me", an ample R&B ballad pulled from the same album as the funky, Gerald Levert-assisted "Written All Over Your Face", isn't all that memorable of a cut, but it did hold the rare '90's distinction of reaching the apex of the R&B chart without the boost of a music video.

There's nothing bad here, the vocals are strong and the lyrics do their job, it's just that it's fairly standard slow jam material, especially after the group had delivered such a fine tune in "...Face". Running up against prominent vocal groups like Boyz II Men and Jodeci, Rude Boys show signs here that they could have really been a long-running act. Unfortunately, it just wasn't in the cards. Despite huge acclaim for their 1992 follow-up, Rude House, and it's spawning of a Top Five R&B hit with uptempo "My Kinda Girl", the album failed to keep their sales momentum up and after a bigger flop with 1997's Rude As Ever, the group would fade away into obscurity.



DL: "Are You Lonely For Me" (YFH)

Tracie Spencer "Tender Kisses"

Album: Make The Difference (Capitol)
Songwriters: Matt Sherrod, Paul Sherrod, Sir Spence and Tracie Spencer
Hit #1: November 23rd, 1991 (1 Week)

Being a Star Search winner at the age of ten showed inkling that beyond Spencer's cutie-pie smile lied a potential prime vocalist, yet a lot of her earlier material was either too sophisticated for the young tyke ("Hide and Seek") or heavily drenched in kiddie-pop sugar overkill ("Symptoms of True Love"). Spencer's 1990 album, Make The Difference, offered more of the same but this time with a few winning numbers in it's hold.

Following up Top Ten hits "Save Your Love" and "In This House" (which remarkably found magic being a dance-pop song about poverty), Spencer found her biggest chart success with the striking heartache ballad "Tender Kisses".

Co-written by the then-14-year-old, "Tender Kisses" not only stressed an impressive maturity in her songwriting skills (acknowledging that pre-teens can express emotional distress from a break-up as eloquently as adults), it also highlighted the dazzling hold she had on her vocal chops. The runs are well-controlled and effective, making certain choices only one with confidence and experience could pull off so well. Spencer can't shake her youthful pitch, but she sung "Kisses" in a way you could see some of the more older top guns singing it, keeping the pain of a shattered ideal intact with trills and ad-libs that enhance rather than ignore the center emotion.

A well-embraced favorite that seemed to hint that Spencer was on the verge of big things, "Tender Kisses" ended up sadly being the peak of her career. Label issues put everything in limbo for much of the decade, and it wasn't until 1999 when Tracie would finally release a follow-up to Difference. But not even a seven year hiatus from the music scene would keep her off of radio as her comeback single, "It's All About You (Not About Me)" brought her back into the R&B Top Ten as if she had never gone away.

Best Moment: The lone key-laced dramatic pause when she warbles "I'm so...confused"



DL: "Tender Kisses" (YFH)

Jodeci "Forever My Lady"

Album: Forever My Lady (Uptown/ MCA)
Songwriters: Al B Sure and Devante Swing
Hit #1: November 9th, 1991 (2 Weeks)

If Boyz II Men were the buttoned-down gentleman mom and pop would prefer their daughters to date, the rugged North Carolina quartet Jodeci were the more street-smart, naughty-minded boys they didn't know their daughters were secretly going out with.

With New Jack feeling a bit played out, Jodeci's church-honed vocals, provocative lyrics and slickly-produced slow jam grooves (by member DeVante Swing) arrived like a revolution in R&B. Their debut single, lone Al B Sure contribution "Forever My Lady", also gave audiences their first taste of one of the 90's top R&B vocalists: K-Ci Hailey, spawn of the gritty soul singers of the '70's. He gives a passionate performance here, gladly accepting his responsibility as a partner and father when he learns he's about to have a child.

With the other members delivering smooth backing vocal support, K-Ci explodes with a all-encompassing force rarely felt from beyond the gospel world. His dreams of raising a family now becoming a reality, K-Ci lets loose his inner joy with feverish yowls and yelps that would seem over-the-top if the subject matter wasn't so full of heart. His brother Jojo, who perfectly contradicts K-Ci's gritty tone with a lighter, though no less spirited, tenor, takes on lead duties towards the track's end, but this is K's show and he gleefully steals his thunder back for the final fade-out.

A heavy influence on the male R&B groups who would steal their throne in the later '90's (Jagged Edge, Dru Hill, Ruff Endz, 112), Jodeci brought a sense of authenticity back into soul music. These weren't guys brushing over the basics of romance. No, they were willing to dig deep into the words and consistently pull off awarding performances that rightfully earned them a legion of loyal followers and many more #1's to come.



DL: "Forever My Lady" (YFH)