FEATURE:
The Digital Mixtape
IN THIS PHOTO: En Vogue in 1991
Girl Group Deep Cuts
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NOT related to any anniversary…
IN THIS PHOTO: All Saints circa 1997
I have been getting back into music from girl groups. A term I have always hated, I am not sure how to rename and reframe the brilliant women whose Pop, Soul and R&B of the '90s and '00s were such a vital part of my musical education when I was a teenager. I am also a fan of those from back in the 1960s and 1970s. To me, we do not really have the same calibre and variety of girl groups. I guess K-Pop groups like BLACKPINK are modern examples. We have FLO in the U.K. The U.S.’s Fifth Harmony are on hiatus at the moment. So too are our Little Mix. The golden age, in my view, was from the late-1980s to early-'90s through to the early-'00s. Legends like TLC, En Vogue, Destiny’s Child, All Saints and, to a slightly lesser extent, Spice Girls released this anthemic and instantly catchy music. With incredible vocal harmonies, killer hooks, and that mix of uplifting tracks and more reflective ballads, we all know the hits from the greats. Whilst the albums are popular, how many of the deep cuts from girl groups does one hear?! Certainly, when you hear TLC or All Saints played, it is usually one of their bigger singles. As I have been exploring the ‘genre’ and, in the course of that, discovering the deep cuts that should be played more, I wanted to put a few into a playlist. Therefore, below is a selection of interesting and varied deep cuts and rarities from some of the best girl groups of all time. I hope that these songs lead you to the groups and their albums. They might not all be to your taste but, as you will hear, one cannot define and limit great girl groups…
TO their hits and chart-toppers.