TucsonWeekly.com commenter AZ/DC wrote yesterday that he believes “readers will all benefit” if, as part as my second stint here at the Weekly, I stop writing about Insane Clown Posse or “mostly obscure 90’s (sic) R&B acts.” Sincerity can be difficult to read over the internet, but I can’t imagine anyone would actually have a problem with ’90s R&B coverage, so I’m going to assume AZ/DC, whoever he or she is, must be joking. So, onward with the paper’s transition into a New Jack Swing fanzine!

Now after the cut, and inspired by AZ/DC, We Got Cactus presents Dan Gibson’s ten favorite ’90s R&B tracks, starting with number ten, in YouTube form above, Sparkle (ft. R. Kelly) with “Careful”.

9. Ghost Town DJ’s, “My Boo” (1996)

8. Tony! Toni! Toné!, “Let’s Get Down” (feat. DJ Quik) (1996)

7. Maxwell, “Fortunate” (1999)

6. Mary J. Blige, “I’m Goin’ Down” (1995)

5. Groove Theory, “Tell Me” (1995)

4. SWV, “Right Here/Human Nature” (1993)

3. Aaliyah, “Are You That Somebody” (1998)

2. R. Kelly, “Bump n’ Grind” (1994)

and at number one, a song so great, even Rhianna couldn’t ruin it: Ginuwine, “Pony” (1996)

You’re welcome, AZ/DC.

This article appears in Nov 22-28, 2012.

The editor of the Tucson Weekly. I have no idea how I got here.

3 replies on “This Is a Post About ’90s R&B”

  1. Hey there Mr. Gibson,

    To answer your question, I was being sincere. I.C.P. & ’90s (sic fixed!) R&B acts are sad excuses for legitimate music. Looking through the videos posted here I definitely will stick to what I said. MOSTLY OBSCURE. There is way more production value going on here than actual talent, this is a good decade to forget about R&B. Why not reference ’60s & ’70s R&B where the talent was raw and had way more heart & (pardon the unintended pun) soul? You may come back with, “Well, that was before my time.” FYI Dan, I’m not that much older than you are. Good music is good music no matter what decade it’s from, style it’s in or production value goes into it. This music is a lot of glitz & glamour, smoke & mirrors; much like the bullshit hard rock groups labeled as “Hair Bands” in the late ’80s to early ’90s. Are you a fan of Poison & Warrant also DG? At this point it wouldn’t shock me.

  2. AZ/DC: I actually love ’60s and ’70s R&B/soul/etc. (and further back even…I throw on some Wynonie Harris or Louis Jordan now and then as well), but I also think your sensitivity on the subject is sort of hilarious. Before the end of the year, I’ll hit 5,000 posts combined on The Range and We Got Cactus. The percentage of content about ’90s R&B is somewhat minimal, right?

    Regardless…preferences! They are magical and entertaining!

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