Friday Flashback: Ladies First Part 1

So I've been slackin' a bit, but I'm back with a slightly more sensitive Friday Flashback. This week we put the spotlight on the girl R&B groups from the 90's. Yes, I'm feeling the 90's tip a lot right now, I can't even deny it. Obviously, girl groups haven't been hot since Beyonce kicked Kelly and Michelle to the curb. That said, before "Say My Name", there were some queens of the stage who made some great tracks. But you know I have to put a spin on it. Rather than hit you with some the big hits, I'd rather get some of the lesser known gems from some really talented ladies.

Note: I do realize there were a lot of female groups at this time which is why this is part 1. Be patient...

First up, Brownstone. I start with Brownstone for no other reason but these ladies were great. This group hit big with the show and prove track, "If You Love Me" and followed with a few minor hits on the R&B charts. Fact is these girl could blow. The music was deep and powerful with production that stepped outside the cookie-cutter New Jack sound of the time. The formula was in place, Michael Jackson's MJJ label, a hot producer (Dave "Jam" Hall) and hot debut track... but sadly the magic died as soon as it came. Brownstone would reset with a sophomore effort (new member in tow), Still Climbing, but it really only generated one hit, the sublime "5 Mile to Empty".

Next up is a personal favorite. Jade. Another trio with a couple of hits and a lot of attitude. Their debut album, Jade To the Max was a confident mix of dance tracks and ballads, "Don't Walk Away" being the biggest hit ... not to mention the damn answering machine bit that seemingly every R&B album in the 90's had. The track I chose for you is a fun floor hopper... "Every Day of the Week".

I really can't do this without mentioning Total. All due respect to the ladies but, people forget how hot Puffy (Diddy) was back in the day. Sad fact is that he will never, ever be able to replicate the machine he had back then. Even if you take Biggie out of the mix, Puffy's hit list was impressive. Total definitely benefited from having Puffy at the controls because it more than made up for their marginal vocals. They were one of the weakest, vocally speaking, of all the girl groups from the era. That said, "Can't You See" was hot! Plus Biggie's in the video...

Next up is Xscape. I include them because half the group is in the spotlight and has wiggled their way back into pop culture relevance. Kandi Burress is now an Atlanta Housewife with hitmaker pedigree ("No Scrubs", "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Bug A Boo")... although her cool card might need to be pulled after the train wreck known as "Tardy for the Party", damn. Tameka "Tiny" Cottle kept her name in the spotlight as Mrs. T.I. and now has a reality show with Lil' Wayne's ex. Before all of dat... Jermaine Dupri was bringing the hits for the quartet ... oh and these girls could do the damn thang.

This is a clean track with nice harmony...

We do clean up work with, in my opinion, one of the best girl groups of the time ... and no, it's not En Vogue. SWV. Seriously, folks, these ladies were the most consistent, if not talented group of the 90's. It's About Time was the standard for other girl groups to measure themselves by as far as debut albums go. They continued to produce solid albums with great music while pushing themselves creatively.

This track is still one of the most beautiful love songs of the era. "Rain".

Okay, so this is part 1... deal. Oh and thanks for reading, P.