Apparently the requirements for being a 90s neo-soul singer were: 1) Have large/great hair; 2) Bust out with a critically acclaimed, massive selling debut album; 3) Promptly disappear for many years before releasing your follow-up. Clearly D’Angelo spent all that time perfecting his body for the “Untitled” video. Not sure what everyone else’s excuse was.
R&B/Soul
Motown Women
I once read that Berry Gordy, Jr. groomed Mary Wells to be the female Motown superstar, and that Diana Ross was just an afterthought. So much for best-laid plans. Personally, I’d have gone with Martha Reeves—she seems like she could have taken on the other two at one time, with one hand tied behind her back.
Michael Jackson
I could just cheat and put all 10 tracks from Thriller on here, but that would mean a) including the lousy McCartney duet (not “Say Say Say”—the other lousy McCartney duet), and b) skipping “Smooth Criminal,” which Daveon danced to and came in second in the All-Oakland Talent Show when he was about 10. On the plus side, Jackson has enough hits that I don’t need to include “Ben.”
Mary J. Blige
My friend Jim has an intense and possibly unhealthy passion for Mary J. Blige. He considers it a major failure of my parenting that my kids don’t know all her song titles and lyrics by heart. Bonus points for scoring hits with one dramatic tale of unhappy love after another, and then titling a song “Be Happy.”
Marvin Gaye
Is it OK to admit that I like Gladys Knight’s version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” better than Marvin Gaye’s? But I like his version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” way better than Diana Ross’s, so it all evens out, right?
Janet Jackson
When I lived with Al and Timmy in Daly City, I used to blast Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 so loud that Al said he could hear it on his way home from work from the bottom of the hill. We lived at the top. It was a big hill.
James Brown
How cool is my son Daveon? When he was about 10, he got a gift certificate to a local record shop (remember those?) as a birthday present. The very first thing he picked out was James Brown’s 20 AllTime Greatest Hits! That’s how cool he is.
Jackson 5/Jacksons
This might knock me down a few more cred pegs, but I’d rather listen to early-period Jackson 5 than late-period Michael Jackson any day. On the other hand, I’d rather listen to … well, almost anything … than the “Michael’s-McCartney-duets-were-big hits-so-let’s-bring-in-another-aging-white-British-rock-legend-from-the-60s” Jagger collaboration “State of Shock.”
Isley Brothers
In the 2000s, Ron (I think) Isley did a weird/creepy duet with R. Kelly where (I think) Isley was the jilted lover, and Kelly was the guy fooling around with Isley’s girlfriend. I’m pretty sure there was a mention of a gun, and I believe they even made a sequel. I vote we pretend the whole thing never happened and listen to “Shout” or “It’s Your Thing” one more time. Also: Lots of songs with parts.
Isaac Hayes
In the history of cool, there’s cool, and then there’s Isaac Hayes. In the history of gold chains, there’s gold chains, then 80s rappers, and then Isaac Hayes. And in the history of songs with really long spoken word introductions, Isaac Hayes stands alone. Plus (for you younger folks out there): Chef.
Playlist of the Day 