4 Forgotten Songs That Are Infinitely Better Than These R&B Artists’ Biggest Hits
· Vice
For most people, they talk about hit songs when they think about an artist. It’ll often depend on the eras in their career, but the Average Joe will almost always pick the most popular choices. Usher? It’s going to be “Yeah!” or “Burn” or maybe even “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love”. Jay-Z can go from “Hard Knock Life” to “Empire State of Mind”, depending on the kind of fan.
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But what about those hidden gems that didn’t hit the top of the charts? What about those album cuts that stick with us for the rest of our lives? In the R&B world, there’s an abundance of options over the years that fit this criteria. Consequently, Noisey selects four forgotten songs across R&B history that are just as good, if not better, as the big hits from an artist.
4 Forgotten Songs R&B Artists Made That Are Just as Good Or Better Than Their Biggest Hits
“Sweet Baby” by Prince & The New Power Generation
Prince’s 90s albums go criminally underrated. The casual fan typically sees the decade as a weaker one for the Purple One. However, despite all the label woes, he had a large crop of songs in his 90s catalog that matched his unprecedented 80s run. A song like “Sweet Baby” might not have the bombast that records like “Purple Rain” do. But there’s a profound tenderness and intimacy in his voice here that he hardly replicates elsewhere. “You ain’t the only one getting beat down, it happens to us all,” Prince sweetly coos. Of the ballads in his catalog, “Sweet Baby” deserves a lot more love.
“Storm Away” by Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown was best known for the kind of records that would make you sweat on the dance floor. The funky, guttural hook on “My Prerogative” or the uptempo “Don’t Be Cruel” devoured R&B in 1988. The slow jams like “Roni” and “Rock Wit’cha” still had a hefty swing and groove to soundtrack slow dances. How would a prime Bobby Brown ballad play out?
Insert the howling saxophones on “Storm Away”. There, he croons about the carefree life he led as a child and how the kids of the day were losing that world of love and peace. As a result, Bobby gives some of his most full-throated, passionate singing he’s ever performed. The passion flows out of him, hitting high notes as if he’s trying to beat out the sax. The politics of the record play a little broad, but the earnestness elevates “Storm Away” from an album cut to an all-time Bobby Brown record.
“I’ll Forgive You” by Bobby V
Bobby Valentino caught the world by storm when he begged and pleaded a woman for seven digits in his hand on “Slow Down“. Primarily a singles artist, it was rare for fans to clamor for his deep cuts. However, dig a little past the Billboard charts and into the album, you’ll find the deeply heartfelt “I’ll Forgive You”.
Melodically curbing from New Edition’s “Can You Stand The Rain”, Bobby V mulls over choosing love despite heartbreak. Even though she left him scorned, he believed their relationship was worth the perseverance. “I’ll forgive you, but you really hurt me. My heart wants to try us again,” he croons. Often, we hear male R&B singers pleading for their woman back. It’s refreshing to hear an artist sing from the perspective of a hurt lover.
“Broken Pieces” by Raheem DeVaughn & Apollo Brown
Devout R&B fans know Raheem DeVaughn from his run in the 2000s with albums like The Love Experience and Love Behind the Melody. He sang with a contagious homeliness, like a plate of soul food after a long day of work. Moreover, it fit perfectly with the time period, when neo-soul and traditionalist R&B shifted slightly toward the Dwele type of music.
For anyone still nostalgic for 2000s soul, Raheem DeVaughn is still cranking out great projects. Take the 2021 standout “Broken Pieces”, a tried-and-true yearner where DeVaughn howls after his girl. In the face of arguments and rough patches, he’s certain that there’s never going to be another woman in the world he could spend his life with. Consequently, he’ll go on bended knee, “not just one but both two.” Through Apollo Brown’s warm production, “Broken Pieces” is R&B for those reminiscent of a time before the ’08 recession.
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