In its original form on SWV’s 1992 debut It’s About Time, “Right Here” was a sad-yet-upbeat New Jill Swing jam that recalled TLC’s “Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg” and other similarly feisty R&B, right down to the rapped bridge the group’s first single, it hit No. Kenneth Edmonds’ forthright and unadorned ballad led to a brief spike in acoustic soul (see The Tony Rich Project’s “Nobody Knows”) and seemed to predict the rise of neo-soul as well. Released in 1994 during the MTV Unplugged era, this acoustic gem revealed new depth for a songwriter who was often (unfairly) accused of being somewhat formulaic. But he opened the decade with this gorgeous, glittering expression of pure love, his restrained vocal given a counterpoint by New Power Generation member Rosie Gaines, whose unbridled performance crests on the track’s show-stopping bridge. Records, his transition to independence, his pioneering forays into online retail. Prince experienced a lot of transitions in the ‘90s-his name change to a symbol, his acrimonious departure from Warner Bros. Prince and the New Power Generation, ”Diamonds & Pearls” (1991) These 30 highlights from the decade collect some of R&B’s highest points. 1, while upbeat tracks like Blackstreet’s swaggering “No Diggity” and Janet Jackson’s peppy “Together Again” also reached the summit.Īrtists from every echelon and subgenre seemed to be laser-focused on honing and upping their game: ‘80s titans like Jackson and her brother Michael incorporated of-the-moment ideas into their platinum-plated ‘90s work early-decade upstarts like Mariah Carey and TLC blossomed into megastars, forcing pop listeners to keep up their ever-evolving visions for the genre and new acts like Maxwell and Lauryn Hill emerged in constant states of evolution, redrawing R&B’s boundaries so that the genre encompassed ever-greater territory. R&B crossover was a matter of course on the pop charts there, ballads like Whitney Houston’s blockbuster “I Will Always Love You” and the stirring Boyz II Men– Mariah Carey team-up “One Sweet Day” had months-long reigns at No.
Innovation abounded, with New Jack Swing giving way to neo-soul as well as further experiments with studio technology’s fast-moving innovations.
The ‘90s may be the last decade when R&B, not hip-hop, was the dominant force in black music.
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