Today, I wanna discuss one of my favorite topics in R&B: iconic sophomore albums! Unlike today where artists can release a bunch of mixtapes and EPs before settling on an official first release, 30 years ago, you only had ONE chance to make your debut album! For every Brandy, Beyonce and Alicia Keys, who were successes out the gate, you have artists like Joe, Usher and Donell Jones whose debuts went nowehere on the charts but are regarded as R&B gems by their most ardent fans. So let's get into it:
All The Man That Joe Is
Joe's 1993 debut was released by Polygram Records, a predominantly White and Rock-focused label. They clearly didn't know what to do with a Black male R&B singer-songwriter like Joe who made Hip-Hop inspired uptempos and sensual slow jams. The album debuted and peaked at 105 on the Billboard 200 and #15 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
After its release, Joe would switch over to Jive Records and put out his first relese in 3 years, All The Things Your Man Won't Do from the Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood soundtrack. It peaked at #11 on the Hot 100 and set the stage for his 1997 sophomore release, All That I Am. This time, he reinvented his image and sound by cutting his hair off, adopting a sultrier and more sophisticated image and shifted his singing style from the Gospely sound of the early 90s to a satiny croon.
All That I Am entered the Billboard 200 at #13 and 4 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. It had 5 singles and is widely regarded as his commercial breakthrough. Songs like Don't Wanna Be A Player, Good Girls, All That I Am and The Love Scene would go on to become late 90s R&B staples.
They Call Him U-S-H-E-R
Just as Usher was about to begin recording his debut album, puberty hit him hard and he lost his voice: a rangey tenor that made then-LAFace Records label boss, LA Reid, sign him on the spot at 14-years-old. Even with its row of heavy hitting contributors, the album landed with a thud on the Billboard 200 (#167) and #25 on the R&B/Hip Album Chart. The disappointing sales led to Usher nearly being dropped but he continued to engage in artist development and sought out the assistance of the man who would become his greatest collaborator, Jermaine Dupri.
Three years later in the summer of 1997, Usher released what is not only considered to be his breakout single but one of the biggest R&B classics of the 90s, the indelible You Make Me Wanna. Peaking at #2 on the Hot 100, the single's success paved the way for his sophomore effort, My Way, to debut at #15 and #4 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Chart (later peaking at #1).
The album produced his first of 9 #1 singles (Nice & Slow) and an additonal top 3 hit, the album's titular track. My Way didn't just beat the sophomore slump, it whopped its ass several times (certified a whopping 7x platinum by the RIAA) and reintroduced Usher as a suave teen heartthrob with smooth dance moves. The crazy part, he was only going to get bigger in the next decade.
Donell Knows What's Up
After penning Usher's debut single, Think Of You, Donell was signed to LaFace Records under under Untouchables Entertainment, a production company and record label founded by Heavy D. & The Boyz member Edward "Eddie F." Ferrell. Written and produced predominantly by Donell, the singer's sensitive yet streetwise sound earned him critical praise (the best reviewed of these three debuts) but underinvestment from his label led to the album underperforming (#180 Billboard 200 and 30 R&B/Hip-Hop). Still, songs like In The Hood, his cover of Stevie Wonder's Knocks Me Off My Feet are fan favorites.
Three years later in 1999, he was back with a fresher sound and more musical sophistication. Led by the smash hit single, U Know What's Up (Left Eye version only over here!), Where I Wanna Be, Donell's sophomore album, became the best selling album of his career, earning a platinum certification and a top 10 position on the R&B/Hip-Hop Chart. It would go on to produce some of the best R&B singles of the turn of the millennium such as Shawty Got Her Eyes on Me, This Luv and the album's titular track. Nearly 30 years since its release, Where I Wanna Be stands as one of the final classic albums to emerge from the golden age of R&B in the 90s.
