Ten Underrated Male R&B Vocalists & Why You Should Check 'Em Out
Aug 09 '03

The Bottom Line Any fan of soul music needs to give these guys a chance.

In the world of music, no matter what genre, there are always going to be artists who achieve undeserved success and more talented artists that slip under the commercial radar. Why exactly does this occur? Well there are a ton of reasons: terrible marketing by record companies, no "pop" appeal, legal troubles/drug problems, or just general public apathy.

R&B music has evollved throughout the 80's and 90's, going froma genre dominated by heavy funk & dance grooves, through the "quiet storm" period of the mid-80's, to the "hip-hop/R&B" and "neo-soul" movements of today.

Anyway, while every genre has it's greats-and the history of R&B's most revered singers is quite long-encompassing Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross, among others, here are 10 relatively contemporary R&B artists that have not received their critical and commercial due. While the general public focuses on the hugely untalented likes of Ginuwine & Jaheim (a great talent with terrible material), not to mention the supremely overrated R. Kelly), here are some folks every R&B fan should check out-if they haven't already.

Joe-Saddled with a non-threatening image, Georgia-born Joe Thomas has fallen into the male R&B pack, despite the fact that his music is often top-notch. Joe also hapens to be a songwriter/producer (Hi-Five, SWV, Chico DeBarge). Generally backing away from the irresponsible "thug/player" themes that permeate modern R&B, Joe ably walks the fine line between modern R&B & classic soul with witty lyrics and a buttery, emotional voice.

Check out: "Better Days" (Jive, 2001)

El DeBarge-The smoothest soul singer this side of Marvin Gaye, El used teenybopper good looks and Latin-flavored ballads to cruise to the top of the black teen-idol list for a minute in the early-80's. As a member of the Motown family unit DeBarge, they had several hit singles (most notably "Rhythm Of The Night"), after which El departed for a solo career. He created several incredibly funky albums, but none of them met with commercial success. He's still around-appearing on a host of DJ Quik albums, as well as appearing on the occasional smooth jazz compilation, and an "Ultimate Collection" spanning his solo career is scheduled for release in August, but El is probably Motown's most underrated crooner.

Check Out: "Heart, Mind & Soul" (Warner Bros., 1987)(it's out of print, but if you find it, you'll be a happy man!)

Alexander O' Neal-Sometimes being bullheaded pays off. After being bounced from the original version of The Time after disagreements with Prince, Alexander laid in the cut for a couple of years until Time alumni Jimmy jam & Terry Lewis were fired from the band, after which they undertook the job as Alex's producers. The first two albums this team put together (1985's self titled debut and 1987's "Hearsay") are among the best things to ever come out of Minneapolis. Jam & Lewis' fierce electroinc beats complemented O'Neal's Southern (he was born in Mississippi) Redding-ish grunt, and the man had a way with a ballad too ("Sunshine", "Crying Overtime"). O'Neal's career was ultimately derailed by drug addiction, but he livened up the 80's with his trademark ballads and sweaty (literally, if you've ever seen his videos)dance jams.

Check out: "Hearsay" (Tabu,1987-reissued by The Right Stuff/Capitol, 2003)-Remastered and back in print for your funk pleasure!!

Tevin Campbell-Blessed with an angelic croon that recalled early Michael jackson or Stevie Wonder, Tevin Campbell's star shone brightly for a minute in the early-90's. A protege of Quincy Jones, he saw the quality of his albums increase as his record sales decreased. As he made his way from childhood into adulthood, his voice matured into something entirely his own. Equal parts Stevie, Michael & Chaka Khan, with an eloquent way of phrasing, Tevin's last studio album, 2000's "Tevin Campbell" featured some excellent ballads that straddled the line between pop and neo-soul. Unfortunately, Tevin went out one day looking for some male companionship and promptly found himself arrested, George Michael-style. Of course, in the notoriously homophobic black music world, Tevin's transgression cost him his career, which is a shame, because he is easily one of the top vocalists of his generation.

Check out: "Tevin Campbell" (Qwest, 2000)

Rahsaan Patterson-This guy got his start on the forgotten 80's TV show "Kids Inc.", and followed that up by writing songs for the likes of Ray J. and Tevin Campbell. In 2000, he released his self-titled debut, which went double wood, although it became something of an underground soul classic. With latin rhythms like "My Sweetheart" and stunning ballads like "Can't We Wait A Minute", as well as a voice that made him sound like a male version of Chaka, this singer should've gone on to great things. After another album that went nowhere and a stellar appearance on the "Brown Sugar" soundtrack, ("You Make My Life So Good"), Rahsaan was recently dropped by MCA, his label. Here's hoping that going the indie route throws some shine this singer's way.

Check out: "Rahsaan Patterson" (MCA, 1996)

Eric Benet-Eric shoulda asked Bobby Brown for advice on what happens when you marry a megastar. Before Eric became Mr. Halle Berry, his star was on the rise. After an uneven debut, "A Day in The Life", boasting guest appearances from the likes of Faith Evans, Wyclef, Meshell Ndegeocello and Tamia, went platinum, bolstered by the wedding ballad 'Spend My Life With You". Then...nothing. The smooth soul singer with the jazzy flow married Ms. Berry, promptly cheated on her (why, brother, why??), went into therapy for sex addiction, and has spent the time since being Halle's permanent accessory as opposed to focusing on his upwardly mobile career. Is there room for only one superstar in this family? Stay tuned.

Check out: "A Day in The Life" (Warner Bros., 2000)

Terence Trent D'Arby-Yeah, he has an ego the size of a small country. Yes, he's pretentious as all hell. Yes, he adopted the quasi-Brit accent before Madonna. But Terence Trent D'Arby has soul in a bundance, in addition to being one of the few real "Black alternative" artists out there. MAny remember his brief moment in the spotlight in the late 80's, where his micro braids and energetic dancing earned comparisons to james Brown & Michael Jackson. However, his habit for careening in to the ditch from the middle of the road has brought him even more comparisons (good and bad) to Prince. His voice is an obvious throwback to legends like Sam & Otis. Add a British flair and some superhuman attitude and there you have Terence. Although his albums have been uneven (to put it mildly), they are all ultimately rewarding, if only for his incredible voice.

Check out: "Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby" (Columbia, 1987)

Aaron Hall/Dave Hollister-Why are these two men listed together? Because, as the lead singers of Guy and BLACKstreet, respectively, these two men joined forces with supa-producer Teddy Riley to create some of the best early hip-hop/soul around. As solo artists, however, both artists have left much to be desired. Hall's gospel-rich voice is a direct descendant of The Gap Band's Charlie Wilson, with a fevery intensity that would've gained him mass success had he been able to keep his ego in check and stay out of trouble with the law. Hollister's more buttery croon is perfect for those midnight slow jams, although he's wasted his vocal gifts on the same ol' tired player-pimp themes. With the frequent turnover ration of his groups, is it farfetched to say that one day Hall & Hollister can make it into a group together?

Check out: Hall:"The Future" Guy (MCA,1990), Hollister:"BLACKstreet" BLACKstreet (Interscope, 1994)

Johnny Gill-Easily the best pure vocalist of his generation, J.G. has tasted success in a variety of different guises. Brieflly an album-length duet partner for 80's teen R&B star Stacy Lattisaw, Gill's throaty baritone suggested the second coming of Teddy Pendergrass, and he was only 16 at the time! After a couple of unsuccessful solo records, Gill joined forces with New Edition and became Bobby Brown's replacement, sharing lead vocals on their most memorable song, 1988's "Can You Stand The Rain". Stepping away from the group, Gill was a certified megastar-for a minute. Finally armmed with an image to match his voice, his self-titled 1990 solo album was a double platinum success, appealing to both dance fans "Rub You The Right Way", and ladies looking for a sensuous track like "My My My" (the best thing Kenny G. has ever appeared on). Johnny's aversion to the studio and weak material resulted in a three year wait between albums, and the result ("Provocative")was something no one cared about. He has lounged around since, as a fairly consistent gold-seller (although he has not recorded solo since 1996), as well as a part-time member of New Edition and the supergroup LSG, containig fellow sangin' fool Gerald LeVert and uh...Keith Sweat. Anyhow, Gill's capability to go from a sensual whisper to a throaty scream should've made him a bigger star.

Check out: "Johnny Gill Ultimate Collection" (Motown, 2001)

Kenny Lattimore-So what, the man looks like an alien? He sure as hell can sing. Lattimore had the misfortune to come out at the same time as labelmate Maxwell. We obviously know where the marketing push went. Lattimore's high-pitched smooth voice rides ably on top of uptempo jams, and the man can sing a smoldering ballad. A move to Arista records did not change his fortunes, although he managed to snare hottie (and fellow underrated vocalist) Chante Moore. The modern-day Ashford & Simpson released their first joint album, "Things That Lovers Do" earlier this year. If you have any doubts about this man's talent, listen to him deliver a stunningly faithful version of Donny Hathaway's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" on his second album, "From The Soul Of Man".

Check out: "From The Soul Of Man" (Columbia,1998)

If you are a pure soul music fan, undoubtedly you've heard of most-if not all-of these artists. You might even own records from some (or most) of them. But the fact that among these 10 artists, there are only FOUR multi-platinum albums (Gill's 1990 debut, Tevin's "I'm Ready", Joe's "My Name Is Joe" and Terence Trent D'Arby's debut) should speak volumes about R&B fans and their tendency to overlook real talent in lieu of good marketing/marginal talent (R. Kelly and his 6 platinum albums). Do yourself a favor and check these guys out. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

I came across this article while doing reasearch on the net. For the most part, I agree with the writer except on two points. First, El is not underrated, he is generally recognized as a good singer. Second, Kenny Lattimore does not look like like an alien. This was a tacky and unprofessional comment. It had no place in the context of the article.

Do you agree with this article? Who would your list include?

I'd have to add Glenn Jones and the amazing Phil Perry to that list. Glenn had a #1 song back in the 90's, however, Phil Perry has never received the respect that he deserves. I feel he is one of the greatest male voice in R&B music ever.

kitbradley said:

I think one of the reason's why Phil was somewhat overlooked in the R&B world, is because most consider him a jazz artist. His songs might have crossed over onto the R&B charts, but Phil sings jazz.

shorttrini said:

Phil ripped it up when he did "Between the Sheets", with Fourplay, here in an earlier post;

http://prince.org/msg/8/315206

Even though he was in the background, he still put on a show!






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[Edited 8/14/09 7:59am]

shorttrini said:

He did R&B back in the 70s with The Montclairs,

LoveIsTheMessage said:

Ndeed!!!!



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Howard Hewett (Shalamar)



Marvin L. Winans



Larry Demps (The Dramatics)



Rick Stevens (Tower Of Power)

Phil has recorded CDs that were straight R&B, with no jazz. He only receives very moderate play on Adult R&B stations but not much outside of that.