Best 90’s Female R&B Group

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They only had 1 amazing hit so I didn’t include them.

I didn’t include them but they had a few good songs.

Brilliant beautiful fucking song.

TLC had the best catalog out of all the girl groups, but En Vogue was the best vocally. Everyone in that group could hold their own and take lead in a song if needed.

I loved TLC even though I was more into alt rock and grunge back then.

R13 TLC barely sang their songs.

This video is great insight into Debra’s vocals. Lol.

Does anyone else remember Blaque?

I love(d) En Vogue. Fabulous vocals, songs, and sexy, quality videos. Still as fresh all these years later. I don't know why they broke up, and seemingly so abruptly. I've avoided going down that rabbit hole because if it was ugly--and that is usually the case--I don't want it to taint the music for me. And of course, it is all about me.

En Vogue was great

I’ll never forget the day I learned about Debra Killings and TLC. 😞

Free Your Mind should be cancelled.

En Vogue are SWERFs

I see the weird Debra Killings stan has arrived at r15 to talk bullshit about TLC. She was a serviceable background/session singer in Atlanta that ended up on hit records from artists who are from Atlanta. She is not some industry phenomenon.

T-Boz / Tionne's distinct low raspy voice (which was inspired by Jody Watley) was the focal point of TLC on CrazySexyCool (their most popular album), not Debra Killings. That is what won them Grammys.

I saw Brownstone live at some function in the 90s. They sounded like they were screaming in unison but it was great.

[quote] I love(d) En Vogue. Fabulous vocals, songs, and sexy, quality videos. Still as fresh all these years later. I don't know why they broke up, and seemingly so abruptly.

I did too. They were a class act with talent and beauty. Like so many artists, especially black women, they had a shitty record deal. Dawn Robinson thought they were owed better and spoke up but the other girls caved. EV3 was supposed to be EV4 but she quit and they had to re-record most of her vocals but you can still hear her on a few songs. That was the final nail in the coffin. I wish they would write a book about touring with Luther Vandross and the drama that ensued.

R21 Debra was the voice that tied it all together. She was the harmony of the group, that’s why she’s singing on 80% of their songs.

R23 They were making 4 cents a record! And had to split it!

Lmao OP, I learned a few more 702 songs from the “Where My Girls At?” single, but yeah…never heard from them again. This thread took me back.

Also R11/R16, I remember one of the Blaque girls was a rapper who was a cousin of LeftEye or something like that.

Sigh. The 90s/early 2000s were so much simpler and more fun.

I voted for En Vogue. I liked most of what they did, with the exception of the Aretha cover. And I was already getting kind of sick of them by the time their popularity started to fade, so I'm glad their career went in the shitter when it did.

One group that belonged in the poll, though, was Zhané. They weren't around very long, but they made an impact. They had some really good songs, and visually they were pretty memorable.

En vogue

[quote] Dawn Robinson thought they were owed better and spoke up but the other girls caved.

Dawn has worked hard to revise her narrative over the years. The truth is at that time she was being VERY difficult and her demands/expectations were making things hard for the other girls. Dawn was the youngest and new to the industry, the other girls were older, a little more mature and just wanted to pay their rent and eat. Dawn wanted to be Whitney Houston. If the four could have stuck it out they would have had more success and would have been better compensated.

It is a shame because the foursome was magic. However, Terry and Cindy still perform as EV with newest member Rhona Bennett -- who has now been an active part of EV longer than Dawn or Maxine -- and she is a trooper and a nice addition to the group.

It's TLC and En Vogue= Both are great and I still listen to their music!!

R27 “Sending My Love” is BEAUTIFUL.

It was produced by the rap group Naughty by Nature and it sounds like it could have been a cover from the 70’s.

That’s one thing about 90’s hip-hop and R&B. They were artists who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and although they were fresh and new and more racy, they always had a fondness of their roots in 70’s soul and R&B.

Now younger artists in the same genre only know about sex songs and hardcore rap music. They didn’t grow up with Rolls Royce and Isaac Hayes and there’s something sad that the roots got lost.

Although there’s a lot of indie R&B and soul that’s gorgeous.

But I dunno, no one today could write a song like this today.

R26 I think they were the second artists after Cher that did autotune.

The original concept of autotune was pretty cool. It was just to add some color to certain parts of the song.

It wasn’t used the way it is now.

Oh yes, I remember Zhane...loved Hey Mr. DJ.

Jade was kind of a two-hit wonder group, but I liked their stuff.

😎🎵

[quote] One group that belonged in the poll, though, was Zhané. They weren't around very long, but they made an impact.

Link?

Jade was the whore version of En Vogue, but they had some good songs.

En Vogue absolutely. Brownstone had some great vocals, loved their cover of Eagles "I Can't Tell You Why".

Jade was good as well. They were a slutty version of En Vogue. Even on a song like their big hit Don't Walk Away where they tell their man they want to wait before they fuck and suck, they do let him know what it will sound like when they do. I picture them fingering themselves in the "This is what sounds like when we make love" part.

And here's Brownstone's version of I Can't Tell You Why. They were signed to Michael Jackson's MJJ label. Not sure if he had any involvement in guiding this group given his problems.

Salt and Pepa.

Coko: "I sold 30 million records, bitch" 😂

Vocally: Destiny's Child hands down. Followed by En Vogue. Then SWV, then 702, then TLC. Success: Destiny's Child followed by TLC followed by En Vogue.

R41 Bitch, yes! I forgot about that one. Here's the album version.

The Writing's On The Wall and CrazySexyCool were hugely popular, and now classic albums. I associate Destiny's Child more with the 2000s though. TLC is definitive 90s.

R41, I like this one, because you can hear LaToya come in with the light harmony at the end and then LaTavia closes it out with the low notes. ALL of them could sing and three of them (Beyonce, Kelly, LaToya) managed to have solo careers (or at least moments). When they became a trio, DC still sounded good and in some ways became more marketable. Writings on the Wall is still their masterpiece though. Survivor is where they mainstreamed and reached white audiences with the massive hits Independent Woman (11 weeks #1) and Bootylicious (3 weeks #1).

TLC was squarely 90s, but had a good run with No Scrubs (1999) and Unpretty (2000) becoming their last #1 hits. No denying the massive smash that was Crazy Sexy Cool (Waterfalls & Creep).

yesss baybeee

[quote] Jade was kind of a two-hit wonder group, but I liked their stuff.

Not one of their hits but Jade's cover of the Emotions "Blessed" was on my playlist for years.

En Vogue and TLC.

Blackgirl

I used to love this song.

When I was young I always thought Tiny was pretty. But I think music video directors got her best angles cause … she’s a total mess.

"He's Mine" by Mokenstef

R51 I was obsessed with that song as a kid. Obsessed.

I also loved Total.

My favorite Total song.

Blackgirl - Krazy

En Vogue for life. Pity they imploded like that.

[quote] I voted for En Vogue. I liked most of what they did, with the exception of the Aretha cover.

See, I loved their take on Giving Him Something He Can Feel because they didn't try to emulate Aretha and performed it similarly to how it was done in the movie Sparkle. I remember one critic at the time said that they brought the song back to its girl group roots, and I agree.

Dawn Robinson was so beautiful in this video and her voice was incredible. Too bad she never became a successful solo artist.

^^They still perform. I saw them in concert in 2022

It's half of En Vogue plus some random. Who the fuck what's to see that?!

I do r58 fuck off. They performed a part of NKOTB’s mixtape tour last year.

Em Vogue all the way. I love the current trio but I'd love if they could get Maxine to come back. All the love to Dawn but shes a lost cause. They did all five perform at a one off for Sylvia Rhones birthday a few years ago but sadly nothing came if it but there was as a lot of hope.

I was surprised to find that not one of En Vogue's albums lacks filler. SWV and Brownstone have the best debuts of the names mentioned.

I disagree. Born To Sing has only one clunker.

R62, which song is the clunker? Hip Hop Bugle Boy?

Just Can't Stay Away

I just watched the SWV/Xscape's Bravo show. The Scott sisters are a MESS, its obvious that LaTocha has always been her mom's favorite child. LaTocha is also the common denominator in the group's drama. Its sad that Kandi and LaTocha still don't get along after 30 years

Exposé! Come go with me!

En Vogue or TLC

R66 Expose weren’t really considered r&b. They were categorized as being dance/pop and Freestyle.

Eternal

Nuttin' Nyce

Kut Klose.

[quote] Dawn Robinson was so beautiful in this video and her voice was incredible. Too bad she never became a successful solo artist.

She is beautiful, her voice is still incredible and it is too bad she's not as big as Beyonce.

R72 there’s not enough Dawn material out there to listen to, her voice is amazing. I feel the same way about Easther from Eternal, I needed a good solo album or two.

Salt N Pepa!

En Vogue for sure

Damn I have to be the first to post this!

Dawn had moderate success post En Vogue with supergroup Lucy Pearl. I loved their first two singles, the top 40 “Dance Tonight” and its follow-up “Don’t Mess With My Man.”

I’m a TLC head all day. Anyone doubting Chilli’s vocal abilities probably missed “Take Our Time” from CrazySexyCool. Amazing track delivered with passion by Chilli.

En Vogue was so awesome. It had my all-time favorite liner note, when one of the girls in the group wrote a shout out to her HBUC, adding, "The blacker the college, the sweeter the knowledge!" I had never heard that phrase before (it's since become much more commonly used), and at the time it cracked me up.

Gemini's Twin

R78 definitely an underrated gem an an outstanding album, it’s one of the few albums that has no skips for me, pure class.

R77 shame about the rest of the album, wall to wall filler. Don’t mess with my man though is a total classic.

Red Light Special is my TLC fav