Then and Now: R&B’s evolution and the state of play in 2019 – Part 1


Posted October 4, 2019 by tbluesproject

R&B website, Soul music blog, Soul music, Soul music artists, R&B artists

 
It’s no secret that, at The Blues Project, we’re massively biased towards R&B and Soul music. And as stans of the genre, we are excited by the evolution that, R&B in particular, has made from the ‘90’s heyday to its current state in 2019. The big question is, what’s the state of play? Can R&B / Soul in 2019 be said to be thriving?
Evolution of the Sound
Since the 80s, it’s probably fair to say there’s been more focus on the ‘rhythm’, rather than the ‘blues’ aspect of the genre. But the genre has not held back. It has fervently continued to evolve. R&B today expresses itself through a range of contemporary-influenced sounds, whilst still pulling from the tradition and sound of Soul. Diving into this range and evolution…
'90s R&B
Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo and TLC. All 3 of these legends have in common that they hit the peak of their careers in the ‘90s! For so many of us 90’s babies, these are some of the greats that raised us. The era is often referenced as the foundation of R&B. It certainly existed before, but the ’90s is definitely the height of R&B’s mainstream music and chart domination. Major throwback feels arise when songs like Bobby Brown’s Every Little Step I Take come on at family functions and everyone heads to the dance floor.
Generally, the ‘90s gave us a love for downtempo ‘slow jam’ type songs. From Boyz II Men and SWV, to Toni Braxton and Mariah Carey. But there were also some very present Hip-Hop influences in the genre. Mary J Blige’s Real Love is the example here with its booming beats and Mary’s iconic dance moves.
'00s R&B
Swiftly moving on to the next decade, the ‘00s, saw an introduction of more funk, disco and faster tempo elements used more frequently in R&B. Take Destiny’s Child’s Survivor or Amerie’s One Thing for instance. These use much more upbeat rhythms and signifies a notable shift in the genre.
Artists like Chris Brown and Ciara launched their careers, bringing a new wave, more up-tempo sound. Many artists from the ’90s, like Mariah Carey and Usher continued releasing music. And they too embraced the new wave. For example, Mariah’s The Emancipation of Mimi album is a significant sonic pivot from ’90s Mariah. But, nonetheless, the essence of Soul music stayed alive. Alicia Keys’, John Legend, Jazmine Sullivan are just a few of the names who stayed the lane.
R&B was also widely popular in mainstream music in the 00’s. And this appears to be the last era where this was so. Nearing 2010, several pioneers of R&B transitioned to other genres for a while, including dance music, and a version of Pop that drew from R&B and Hip Hop. Think Usher’s DJ’s Got Us Falling In Love Again and Chris Brown’s Look At Me Now.
For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us at R&B website, Soul music blog, Soul music, Soul music artists, R&B artists
-- END ---
Share Facebook Twitter
Print Friendly and PDF DisclaimerReport Abuse
Contact Email [email protected]
Issued By tbluesproject
Country United States
Categories Business
Last Updated October 4, 2019