As a genre, New Jack Swing was a harder-edged cousin to R&B music, meant to bridge the gap between the emotionally present (read: ostensibly "soft") R&B singers and the altogether rougher hip-hop acts. With their doorknocker earrings and signature Freddy-Krueger-meets-Basquiat manicures, they became trendsetters in their own right (most notably bringing riding jodphurs to the streets, thanks to the hugely popular "Right Here" remix video).īut unlike the other newly-minted Jills TLC, nothing about their presentation felt forced or gimmicky - no easy task, considering the multi-layered image complex they were working against. And while reigning girl-group En Vogue, riding high off the success of their just-released Funky Divas album, sought to continue the legacy of black style icons Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge, SWV felt perfectly at home in their round-the-way look. On the other hand, they also weren't trying too hard not to (like TLC). Though they had the little skirts and leather jumpsuits, they didn't feel like they were pushing sex-appeal (like Jade). While their harmonies clearly referenced their gospel roots, their image redefined what we expected of three girls from church. With its lush vocal harmonies (and gorgeously shot video), the ballad was a triumph in emotional narrative, hitting number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts.īut their look got almost as much attention as their sound. By the time third single "Weak" had completed its run, their debut album It's About Time was an unqualified success, and America had taken notice. It became their first top 10 single, and would go on to define the group for years to come. With its simple, sing-along-friendly "You're so fine / You blow my mind" refrain squarely aimed at America's middle schools, the feel-good bounce of "I'm So Into You" established SWV among the key faces of New Jill Swing. But the follow-up "I'm So Into You" was the group's real coming out party.
Their first single, the New Jack-inflected "Right Here" was a modest hit, cracking the Billboard R&B Top 20. Originally a gospel group formed in 1990, Tamara "Taj" Johnson, Cheryl "Coko" Clemons and Leanne "Leelee" Gamble (having lost first rights to the band name TLC despite having the right initials), found themselves signed to RCA Records after their demo tape caught the attention of New Jack Swing pioneer Teddy Riley.
But 1992 was the year the standard was set with big debuts from upstarts Jade, TLC and Sisters With Voices - or SWV, if you're nasty. The first half of the '90s was the second golden age for girl groups in music - with everyone from Total to Brownstone to Changing Faces (and maybe even MoKenStef) crafting the sound of the era.
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