In a move I cannot imagine will please many – we lose our UK R&B entry from the list. As the 90s take another cut, we are still solidly getting rid of my back-up host’s signature genre.
Stay is a lovely number and showcases
Eternal’s sound and vocals spectacularly, however it is not my favourite entry of the genre on the list.
This song list forces you to compare, of course so I have to say that the grittier representations of the genre we have discussed through
En Vogue or
TLC rank higher with me at this point in my life. Back in the late nineties however,
Eternal was a girl band I was extremely fond of (as was Mauritius with
I Wanna Be The Only One almost snatching our Song Of The Year title). If this song inspires you to compare the US and the UK R&B soundscape, I would say the UK movement certainly had a more polished production than its US counterpart as represented here, this may also be because
Eternal’s debut was a few years after
En Vogue and co., so the sound had already evolved a bit by then.
The girls from
Eternal are extremely talented vocalists and their harmonies and vocals mesh incredibly together, pushing the overall sound higher for impact without bothering me as much as some vocal gymnastics can – instead the ad-lib at the end feel earned and tie into the overall sound perfectly. Polished would be the word for how it comes together so well here.
Stay was the true debut from
Eternal, and was the first single from their debut album
Always & Forever (really going for the eternity feel overall). It entered the UK Chart at #16 and built to a peak of #4. Surprisingly for an English Girl Band, they also saw some success in the US when this reached #19. Australia took it to #3 (stanning talent from the beginning).
Considered the British
En Voque (if anyone doubted how influential they were), the band started with sisters
Easther and
Vernie Bennett, with the label recruiting
Kelle Bryan and
Louise Redknapp. Their debut album sold over 1 million copies in the UK, confirmed 4x Platinum and finishing as one of the biggest selling albums of 1994.
Louise left the group before the recording stages of the second album to pursue a very successful solo career and she wasn’t present in the stages of my life were I first discovered
Eternal, thinking they had been a trio all along until a few years down the line. Their second album, was also highly successful and the eventual best of they released has been confirmed to be the highest selling ‘Best Of’ of any girl group. In the late 90s
Kelle left the band (thanks to
@londonrain for the tea about how she got
fired by fax) and the sisters were left as the duo they originally started as until called it quits in 2000. Some reunion talk have been had over the years and they reformed for
The Big Reunion as a trio to some success too. Watch this space for more gossip in part 2!
It is time to hear some PopJustice opinions!
Zar-Unity (8.5)
breaks away from that 7 average he has been dishing out - Wow, that melody just hits you like a good day in paradise. Classic. Tech: 4 Taste: 4 +.5 = 8.5 points.
Kermit_The_Frog (8)
likes this line-up best - Eternal were at their best as a 4-piece and a duo (everything as a trio can be chucked). Is this an unpopular opinion? I sometimes wish that Easther would have some kind of resurgence (Radio 2 show, West End debut). A voice that good should not be lost. Further Listening: What’cha Gon’ Do?
ComeOnGloria (9.5)
is reaching into his OhNostalgia - That intro reminds me of being a teenager!
Saviodxl (7)
has not seen The Big Reunion - Where are they now?
Filippa (4)
returns to rate villainy - Apart from “I Wanna Be the Only One” I don’t know any song of Eternal I like. And this song does not change this.
Trouble In Paradise (8.5) is all about the eargasms - I love the sensual delivery of this song.
Empty Shoebox (5) looks into the very influences of the R&B Soul tracks for shade - I'm not really a fan of gospel, but the influences seem to work okay here.
Sprockrooster (6
) sees talent but still infancy stages for his liking - Vocals for life, but too bad the song isn't that good.
DominoDancing (7.5)
does not love the ad-lib too much - The chorus is quite catchy, could have done without some of the oversinging.
Iheartpoptarts (10) i
s a surprising high scorer for this one! - You know when you never listen to something because you think it’s a ballad and then it turns out to be amazing? Oh.
Ufint (8)
has flashbacks but they are good ones - This is a lot better than I remember it being.
Unnameable (5)
thinks what they do later is better – they improved greatly with age.
DJHazey (9)
could be swayed towards a discography rate here - Something about the production feels at home for me. The entire soundscape reminds me of a favorite artist or album but I can't put my finger on it but I know I've never heard of this group before.