R&B House Urban / Sisters & Brothers Volume Two 1989 – 1994
1989 - 1991
1 TEN CITY / That’s The Way Love Is / Foundation January 1989
2 FRANKIE KNUCKLES With Satoshi Tomiie / Tears / Single A Side March 1989
3 ADEVA / Respect / Single A Side March 1989
4 SOUL II SOUL / Fairplay / Club Classics Volume 1 April 1989
5 NENEH CHERRY / Inna City Mamma / Raw Like Sushi June 1989
6 JANET JACKSON / Rhythm Nation / Rhythm Nation 1814 September 1989
7 LISA STANSFIELD / What Did I Do To You? / Affection November 1989
8 THE CHIMES / Heaven / Single A Side November 1989
9 EN VOGUE / Hold On / Born To Sing March 1990
10 SOUL II SOUL / Missing You / Vol 2 1990 – A New Decade May 1990
11 OMAR / There’s Nothing Like This / There’s Nothing Like This June 1990
12 DEEE-LITE / Try Me On, I’m Very You / World Clique September 1990
13 YOUNG DISCIPLES / Get Yourself Together / Single A Side September 1990
14 C+C MUSIC FACTORY / Let’s Get Funky / Gonna Make You Sweat December 1990
15 THE SOURCE & CANDI STATON / You Got The Love / Single A Side January 1991
16 MASSIVE ATTACK / Be Thankful For What You’ve Got / Blue Lines April 1991
17 RON HARDY / Liquid Love / Single A Side April 1991
1991 - 1994
1 SOUNDS OF BLACKNESS / Testify / The Evolution Of Gospel June 1991
2 YOUNG DISCIPLES / Apparently Nothing / Road To Freedom July 1991
3 BRAND NEW HEAVIES / Never Stop / Brand New Heavies August 1991
4 ADEVA / Independent Woman / Love Or Lust October 1991
5 PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION / Get Off / Diamonds And Pearls November 1991
6 MICHAEL JACKSON / Remember The Time / Dangerous December 1991
7 EN VOGUE / My Lovin’ / Funky Divas March 1992
8 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT / People Everyday / 3 Years, 5 Monthes & 2 Days In The Life Of March 1992
9 GALLIANO / Skunk Funk / A Joyful Noise June 1992
10 MARY J BLIGE / Real Love / What’s The 411? August 1992
11 PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION / My Name Is Prince / Love Symbol October 1992
12 SWV / I’m So Into You (Allstar’s Drop Mix) / Single B Side March 1993
13 JANET JACKSON / That’s The Way Love Goes / Single B Side April 1993
14 ME’SHELL NDEGEOCELLO / If That’s Your Boyfriend / Plantation Lullabies October 1993
15 CARLEEN ANDERSON / Mama Said / True Spirit June 1994
16 TLC / Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes / Crazysexycool November 1994
17 MARY J BLIGE / You Bring Me Joy / My Life November 1994
House never did take over the world or even America, its influence far outweighing its popularity even though contemporary R&B, apart from the Jackson droids and Prince, remained a moribund morass of bland upward mobility. Hip-hop was ruling the streets and the clubs but not the radio so producer Teddy Riley seized the opportunity to bridge the gap but everything about his New Jack Swing offended the sensibilities. Nonetheless, it still sold in its millions, opening the floodgates for a deluge of glorified Chippendales causing hip hop crews to refer to R&B as ‘rap and bullshit’. And they weren’t wrong.
For the disillusioned, a viable alternative could be found in British soul and Acid Jazz. With a combination of genius marketing, a good catch phrase, some great tunes and innovative production, Soul II Soul managed to take their own agenda into the marketplace rather than being dictated by it. They were emblematic of the optimism accompanying the final years of Thatchersm and the first truly credible British soul band which encouraged great eclectic records by Neneh Cherry, The Chimes, Omar, trip hoppers Massive Attack and even Lisa Stansfield. Gaining confidence from all of these acid jazz developed from a jazz dance, rare groove scene. Unfairly dismissed as retro fixated, the Young Disciples released two of the finest singles to go beyond the acid jazz enclave, and the Brand New Heavies and Galliano helped it embrace hip-hop, techno and house.
Of course, back in America, all black British music was ignored so R&B’s dilemma remained. To sell records and uphold black values of being successful, no artist could possibly be authentic. Ironically, that approach had worked so well that by the end of 1992, almost a decade after Thriller, with rock and pop on the slide, R&B had become so dominant that it had become the mainstream. And yet, propagated by hip-hops realism, there was a creeping discontent within the ghettos and the housing projects, a feeling that R&B artists had become so absorbed with aspirations of success they had abandoned their black fans and disowned their roots.
In New York, a new black and proud, hip-hop soul approach germinated, and Mary J. Blige emerged as the female singer of her generation. She was true ghetto fabulous, a tough chick from the streets, the real deal. But somehow she was able to display the pain and vulnerability beneath the street sass and hyper sexuality that had become the image of urban femininity. Mary J. Blige took ghetto fabulous to the mainstream where it transcended the whole notion of authenticity and even transcended notions of black aspiration.
