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It could be said that the 1990s was the last golden age of modern R&B music. In fact, it is an idea that is often repeated throughout cyberspace as some lament the parlous state of the present scene. Nevertheless it is not just empty nostalgia that has earned that particular decade a place in the heart of soul lovers. This was a special time in urban music; the decade when Teddy Riley’s New Jack Swing took the airwaves by storm and launched a thousand careers. There was much in the way of variety - not just in front of the mic but also amongst those twiddling the knobs.
The 1990s saw the rise of the super-producer. Stateside you had such luminaries as Riley, R.Kelly, Dallas Austin, Babyface, Keith Sweat, Devante Swing, Timbaland, Jay Dilla, Puff Daddy (as he was then known), Trackmasters, Jermaine Dupris, Wyclef Jean and Swizz Beats making their name. Some international production stars emerged from the UK and Europe as well; Soulshock and Karlin, Linslee, Stargate and the Ignorants to name a few.
Perhaps the toast of 1990s R&B was the healthy proliferation of trios, quartets and quintets bringing back the tight Doo-Wop harmony sounds of 1940s and '50s America. The fellows were represented by the likes of the mighty
Boyz II Men, Intro, Shai, Blackstreet, Dru Hill, Hi-5 and
Soul for Real. As far as the ladies were concerned we can look back on such titans of talent as
En Vogue, Brownstone, Kut Klose, Jade, Xscape, the original line-up of
Destiny’s Child and the UK’s
Eternal.
Nevertheless no assessment of 1990s urban music would be complete without mentioning Tamara ‘Taj’ Johnson, Leanne ‘Lelee’ Lyons and Cheryl ‘Coko’ Gamble,
the 'original TLC’ or, as they are better known,
SWV (Sisters With Voices).
