En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hold On", taken from their 1990 debut album Born to Sing. The group's 1992 follow-up album Funky Divas reached the top 10 in both the US and UK, and included their second US number two hit "My Lovin' " as well as the US top 10 hits "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" and "Free Your Mind".
SWV is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak", "Right Here ", "I'm So into You", and "You're the One". The group disbanded in 1998 to pursue solo projects and reunited in 2005. SWV has sold more than 25 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
One Wish: The Holiday Album is the sixth studio album by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released by Arista Records on November 18, 2003. Chiefly produced by Mervyn Warren, the album is a follow-up to her fifth studio album, Just Whitney (2002), as well as her first Christmas album. One Wish features cover versions of Christmas standards and carols, one of which is a duet with Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown. The album also includes "Joy to the World" and "Who Would Imagine a King," both of which first appeared on The Preacher's Wife soundtrack (1996).
Christmas Interpretations is the first Christmas album and second overall studio album by American R&B group Boyz II Men. It was released on October 5, 1993, by Motown. Several of the tracks are originals, written by Boyz II Men with labelmate and longtime friend Brian McKnight; others are traditional Christmas songs.
Shanice is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Shanice. It was released on March 9, 1999 on LaFace Records. Produced by Dallas Austin, Babyface, Warryn Campbell, Laney Stewart, and others, the album peaked at number 56 on the US Billboard 200 and number 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The lead single, "When I Close My Eyes" held the record for the biggest leap in 1-week on the Billboard Hot 100 until 2006 and peaked at number 12 on the US Hot 100. Other singles released from the album were "Yesterday" and "You Need a Man."
Soul Flower is the sixth studio album by the American recording group En Vogue. Released through 33rd Street and Funkigirl Records and distributed by Bayside Entertainment on February 24, 2004 in the United States, the album marked the band's debut with the label as well as their first full-length release to feature vocals by new band member Rhona Bennett who had joined remaining founding members Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron the year before following the departure of Amanda Cole, resulting into the partial re-recording of several songs on Soul Flower that Cole had originally lent her voice to.
It's About Time is the debut studio album by American female R&B trio SWV. It was released by RCA Records on October 27, 1992, in the United States. It earned 11 Billboard Music Award nominations and became the 16th best-selling album of 1993 in the United States, with 2,100,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also earned SWV a nomination for Best New Artist at the 36th Grammy Awards. In 1996, It's About Time was certified 3× platinum, for shipping over 3,000,000 albums in the US alone.
Unchained Melody: The Early Years or simply The Early Years is a compilation album by American country singer LeAnn Rimes, released in the United States on February 11, 1997 by Curb Records. Due to high sales of her debut album, Blue, the album consists of tracks recorded previously to Blue. "Unchained Melody" was released on a single as a B-side track with "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart" at Target stores during the 1996 Christmas season alongside Rimes' debut album. The album contains cover versions of "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" by Patsy Montana, "Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe, "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton, "Yesterday" by The Beatles. The album has been certified 2× Platinum for shipments of two million copies in the United States. She was the fourth solo artist to chart on the Billboard 200 under the age of 18.
"You Don't Have to Worry" is a song by American girl group En Vogue from their debut album Born to Sing (1990). The song was released as the third single from the album on October 31, 1990, and was the group's third consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
A Nu Day is the second studio album by Canadian recording artist Tamia. It was released by Elektra Records on October 10, 2000, following her transition from Qwest Records. A less ballad-driven collection of songs and more progressive approach than her debut effort, Tamia worked with a smaller number of songwriters and producers on the album, including Dallas Austin, Shep Crawford, Missy Elliott, Bink!, Errol "Poppi" McCalla, and Jazz Nixon, some of whom would become frequent collaborators on subsequent albums. As with Tamia, a cover version, DeBarge's 1983 single "Love Me in a Special Way", was also recorded for the album.
Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble, better known by her stage name Coko, is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer of the R&B vocal trio Sisters With Voices (SWV). Aside from her R&B career, Gamble also has a solo gospel career. As a member of SWV, Coko has sold 10 million records in the US, and 25 million records worldwide, and is a four-time Grammy Award nominee.
New Beginning is the second studio album by American R&B female trio SWV. It was released by RCA Records on April 23, 1996 in the United States. The lead single, "You're the One", became one of their signature songs peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B Singles. The second single, "Use Your Heart", saw the debut of the super producers The Neptunes. This song peaked at twenty-two on the Hot 100 and number six on the R&B chart. The last single, "It's All About U", found Taj taking most of the lead as opposed to Coko. New Beginning was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
A Very Special Season is the twentieth studio album and first holiday album by American singer Diana Ross, released on November 14, 1994 by EMI Records. Produced by Nick Martinelli, whom Ross worked with several times around the early nineties, it is a lush, soulful pop album, consisting mostly of traditional Christmas standards as well as takes on more contemporary songs by Burt Bacharach, John Lennon, and Stevie Wonder. The set was only released for the international market where it peaked at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"Más Allá" is a song from Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan's sixth studio album, Abriendo Puertas (1995). The song was written by Kike Santander, who handled production alongside Gloria's husband Emilio Estefan. It was released as the second single from the album in December 1995. A Christmas bolero ballad, the song utilizes church bells and lyrically deals with selfless love. The song received positive reactions from music critics, who mostly praised the instruments. Commercially, it topped both the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and Latin Pop Airplay charts in the United States. Gloria Estefan performed the song live for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican and for then-US President Bill Clinton during a televised holiday special. Estefan re-recorded the song in 2020 for her fourteenth studio album Brazil305 and incorporated Brazilian music.
This Christmas is the first holiday album released by American singer Patti LaBelle. It was released by MCA Records on October 30, 1990, in the United States. The album was released while LaBelle was working on a follow-up to her previous album, Be Yourself (1989). It included original compositions such as "'Twas Love", which LaBelle shot a video for, and "Nothing Could Be Better", which was sung live by LaBelle during an appearance on the television show, A Different World. This Christmas would be re-released in 1995 with all new artwork and a new bonus track, "Angel Man". The 1995 re-release was later reissued in 2004 under the 20th Century Masters: The Christmas Collection line, labeled The Best of Patti LaBelle.
Holly & Ivy is a 1994 Christmas album and 16th overall studio album by American singer Natalie Cole. Released on October 4, 1994, by Elektra, it is Cole's first album featuring Christmas music and serves as a follow-up to Take a Look (1993). Cole co-produced the album with American music producer Tommy LiPuma, with whom she had worked on Unforgettable... with Love (1991). Holly & Ivy consists of 12 tracks, including 11 covers of Christmas standards and carols and one original song written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser. Cole promoted the album as non-traditional in interviews and live performances.
I Missed Us is the fifth studio album by American R&B group SWV. It was released by Mass Appeal Entertainment and eOne Music on April 17, 2012. The album marked the trio's first studio album since their disbandment in 1997. Cainon Lamb worked with them on the majority of the record, while additional production was helmed by Carvin & Ivan, Michael "Big Mike" Clemons, and Bryan-Michael Cox. I Missed Us was preceded by three singles, including lead single "Co-Sign." It also includes their remake of the Patti LaBelle classic, "If Only You Knew" which earned SWV a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category.
"Christmas Time Is Here" is a popular Christmas standard written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 television special A Charlie Brown Christmas, one of the first animated Christmas specials produced for network television in the United States.
"Can We" is a song by American R&B trio SWV featuring guest vocals from Missy Elliott and production by Timbaland and Elliott. The song was eventually included on SWV's third album, Release Some Tension (1997), but was originally a hit earlier in the year when it was included on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Booty Call.
"Willing to Forgive" is a song by American singer Aretha Franklin from her seventh compilation album, Greatest Hits: 1980–1994 (1994). It was released as the album's second single in May 1994 by Arista Records. Written and produced by Babyface and Daryl Simmons, it became a hit in the US. The single reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It also charted in the UK, reaching number 17. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Willing to Forgive" peaked at number 49 in July 1994.
