New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was most popular from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip hop, seeped into pop culture.
"California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. However, the best-known version is by the Mamas and the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 1965. The song is No. 89 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The lyrics of the song express the narrator's longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City.
C+C Music Factory was an American musical group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés. The group is best known for their five hit singles: "Gonna Make You Sweat ", "Here We Go ", "Things That Make You Go Hmmm...", "Just a Touch of Love", and "Keep It Comin'". The band stopped recording in 1996, following Cole's death. In 2010, C+C Music Factory reformed with Eric Kupper replacing Cole. Original member Freedom Williams acquired trademark rights to the name in 2003 and still tours under that moniker.
Trey Lorenz is an American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. He was born in Florence, South Carolina and is a graduate of Wilson High School. Lorenz is best known for his duet with recording artist Mariah Carey on "I'll Be There", a cover of the 1970 number-one Jackson 5 recording of the same name. The record topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles chart a second time in 1992 and earned Lorenz and Carey both a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. They would later perform the song again at the funeral of Michael Jackson on July 7, 2009.
Christopher Williams is an American singer–songwriter and actor. Williams, who emerged during the late 1980s as a recording artist for Geffen Records, has scored many R&B hit singles, notably "Talk to Myself" (1989), "I'm Dreamin'" (1991) and "Every Little Thing U Do" (1993).
"Diamonds and Pearls" is the title track to Prince and The New Power Generation's 1991 album. The song is an upbeat ballad, given a rock edge with guitar and heavy drumming. The song also features the vocals of NPG member Rosie Gaines. The ballad is an expression of love and not lust, as is the theme on some of the other singles from the album. The song was a top 10 hit, reaching number 3 in the US and the top spot on the R&B chart. The pearls in the music video come from Connie Parente, a Los Angeles jewelry collector and designer.
"Save the Best for Last" is the third single from American singer and actress Vanessa Williams' second studio album, The Comfort Zone. The song was written by Phil Galdston, Wendy Waldman, and Jon Lind. It is considered Williams' signature song.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" is a 1931 song with music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt and lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was first recorded in February 1931 by Ozzie Nelson and also by Wayne King and His Orchestra, with vocals by Ernie Birchill. A popular standard, it has seen more than 60 other versions recorded, with one of the highest chart ratings by The Mamas & The Papas in 1968 with Cass Elliot on lead vocals.
Music from the Motion Picture New Jack City is the original soundtrack to Mario Van Peebles' 1991 film New Jack City. It was released by Giant Records through Reprise Records, and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The soundtrack consists of eleven original songs, most of which were performed by chart-topping R&B and hip-hop artists of the time. The music is heavily influenced by the New Jack Swing genre of R&B. Prominent artists and producers of this sound contributed to the soundtrack, including Guy with Teddy Riley, Keith Sweat, Color Me Badd, and Johnny Gill; Al B. Sure! produced the track "Get It Together ," performed by F.S. Effect.
"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a song by American R&B group Color Me Badd, released in March 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, C.M.B. (1991). The song was produced by Dr. Freeze and was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 film New Jack City.
"I'll Get By " is a popular song with music by Fred E. Ahlert and lyrics by Roy Turk. The song was published in 1928. Versions by Nick Lucas, Aileen Stanley and, most successfully, Ruth Etting, all charted in America in 1929.
"Muscles" is a 1982 hit single written and produced by Michael Jackson, and performed by American singer Diana Ross. It was released as the first single on September 17, 1982 by RCA from Ross's Gold-certified album Silk Electric.
"I Adore Mi Amor" is the title of a number-one R&B single by group Color Me Badd, released as the second single from their debut album C.M.B. The hit song spent one week at number-one on the US R&B chart. It was also number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of September 21, 1991 for two weeks and spent 20 weeks overall in the list. It also ended the year at number 18 on the annual recap for 1991. In 1992, saxophonist Najee covered the song from the album Just an Illusion.
Vanessa Williams is an American actress and singer. In 1988, Williams released her debut album, The Right Stuff. The first single, "The Right Stuff", found success on the R&B chart, while the second single, "He's Got the Look", found similar success on the same chart. The third single, "Dreamin'", was a pop hit, becoming Williams's first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8, and her first number one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album reached gold status in the US and earned her an NAACP Image Award and three Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist.
"Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' " is a song by Jermaine Jackson featuring his younger brother Michael Jackson, taken from Jermaine Jackson's eponymous album. Jason Elias of Allmusic called this song "percolating and infectious."
I'm No Hero is a 1980 album by Cliff Richard. The album features three hit singles, including "Dreamin'" and "A Little in Love", which were top 20 hits in both the UK and the US.
"Dreamin'" is a song written by Lisa Montgomery and Geneva Paschal and originally performed by the family group Guinn in 1986.
American recording artist CeCe Peniston entered the music industry as a backup vocalist on the Overweight Pooch's album Female Preacher, released in July 1991 on A&M Records. Shortly before that though, she was featured on the B-side to 12-inch single "I Can't Take the Power" by a male rapper, Marvelous JC. Besides her vocal performance on the Pooch's only charting track, "I Like It", she was also given a credit for co-writing two compositions; "Kickin' Da Blues" and the titular "Female Preacher". Soon after, singer pursued her own solo career. By now, Peniston has released four studio albums including one as a member of The Sisters of Glory, two remix collections, one live album, four compilations and one live extended play (EP). Her singles discography features twenty-nine physical releases, twenty-one digital-only, seven promotional recordings and twenty-six other appearances; regardless of their format. She has also been included on one video album and has made fourteen music videos.
"I'm in the Mood" is a 1993 song by American singer CeCe Peniston, released as the first commercial single taken from Thought 'Ya Knew, the singer's second studio album. The composition scored singer her fourth number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and also entered the Top 10 of the US R&B chart, peaking at number 7. On the Hot 100 the song peaked at number 32 and made number 16 on the UK Top 75. In a 2011 interview for Boy Culture, TypePad's blogging service, Peniston disclosed that she had actually expected a better reception of the single.
"I'm Not Over You" is a 1994 song by the musician CeCe Peniston, originally recorded for her second album, Thought 'Ya Knew on A&M Records. The single achieved number two in the US Dance chart, and number ten on the R&B field. In the Billboard Hot 100 the song charted at number forty-one. The B-side of the single included "Searchin'", which was previously released only for promotional purposes.
