Timeless Music Created in the 90s

I heard somewhere that the 90s is the one decade of the 20th Century where not much was produced in the way of substantial music.  I’d have to agree to some extent that a good deal of mainstream pop music from the 90s was soul aching drivel, but I also had some of my best musical experiences during that time so I know it wasn’t all bad.  Like most forms of entertainment, I deem the best music from the 90s to be from artists who are so authentic with their craft that they produce enduring content that forever resonates with listeners.  There are many examples of these artists, but I’m going to narrow in on a few of my favourites.  First up, Lauryn Hill: 

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released in the summer of 1998. I was 24 years old and already a fan of hers having listened to her in the group, The Fugees.  I was over the moon when I bought her solo album and I was not disappointed when I heard it.  Every one of her songs were phenomenal.  Each one was written carefully and with purpose.  I immediately connected with all of them. Years later, a lot of information surfaced about Lauryn and her controversial life and questionable head space when she wrote and released the album, but none of that matters to me. I am still a massive fan.

In this music review on Pitchfork.om, writer Carvell Wallace talks in depth about the impact Lauryn’s album had on the world of hip hop.  For me, the album showed me the strength and depth of an artist I admired.  Lauryn was raw and exposed in so many ways on the album and that inspired me to strive to be as real as possible in my own life’s endeavours.

Sade: Love Deluxe

Sade is another timeless artist.  Although she was discovered in the 1980s, her album Love Deluxe which was released in1992, has some of my favourite songs.  Similar to Lauryn Hill, whenever I listen to Sade, I get the sense that she is speaking directly from her soul to mine. There is a depth to her voice that is undeniably moving.  Sade also touches ever so slightly on the global political climate in some of her songs.  For instance, her song Pearls from the same album Love Deluxe, paints a portrait of a woman’s survival tactics living in what sounds like a war torn society in Somalia.  Sade sings the song so beautifully and her accompanying music is striking in a way that makes you want to listen to what she has to say.  In this interview with Sade, Fader magazine reveals some of her inner complexities that facilitated her ability to produce such profound music.

D’Angelo: Brown Sugar

D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar was released in 1995 and I instantly fell in love.  At that time, the music industry was already saturated with quite a lot of new rhythm and blues (R&B) artists, but D’Angelo stood out from the rest. His voice was smooth and the music he chose to sing against was the same.  The 90s was also a time when hip hop music was at its height and there were some great legendary tracks being produced, which was great.  But D’Angelo was in a different lane.  Eventually, I heard his music categorized as neo-soul.  Whatever it is, his sound was refreshing.  It was as if he had been transported from the 50s, but he was able to maintain a contemporary message in his music.  I found this interview from The Village Voice that is a few years old, but it captures my feelings about D’Angelo so I had to share it.  Indeed this album, and the artist himself, will remain a favourite of my for years to come.

Erykah Badu: Baduizm

Erykah Badu embodies authenticity in music.  Her album Baduizm was released in 1997 and it inspired me immediately. Erykah exploded onto the music scene with a large head wrap and the voice of an angel.  Her main message in Baduizm is all about love and humanity.  She is truly an artist who is concerned with the state of the world and from her music, it seems she believes that love can conquer a lot of the world’s issues.  I think on some level somewhere in a non-practical corner of my mind I agree with her assessment, which is why I am drawn to her.

In closing this post, I will say that I have had the pleasure of watching all of these artists perform live and I was not disappointed in any of them.  All of them were truly treasures of the 90s and they all touched my life in their own way.  I hope they continue to contribute to the world’s, and to my personal, library of music.

Three Great Movies From the 90s

If you’re a member of Generation X and you loved to watch movies in your teens and twenties, then you may have watched some of the best movies of all time.  Do you ever talk about them or reflect on them?  Probably not.  Neither do I, but all that changes today.  This post is dedicated to the three of my favourite movies.  Full disclosure: it was a big deal for me back in my late teens and twenties, to choose to watch a movie in the theatre.  Partly because I was making my own money and my own choices, but I distinctly remember feeling empowered whenever I went to the movie theatre with friends or on a date.  Sounds strange to recall that feeling now, but it was real back then. Whatever the reason, something about that time in my life coupled with the kinds of movies I watched still resonates with me today.  In particular, movies that sparked conversations that lasted into the wee hours of the morning, post-screening, are the ones I’ll focus on.  

More Than Moving Pictures

My favourite movies did more than entertain me.  They helped me shape my ideas of the world by presenting society or politics or human relations to me in a variety of situations that challenged my way of thinking.  If I had to separate them into categories, I’d say that romantic, psychological thrillers, and suspense-filled films were the most impactful on my life.

Romance: Love Jones –  Released in 1997

In 1997, I was young and impressionable at 23 years old.  I was single, but dating and trying to find a relationship that fit with my values.  To be specific, I was an independent young woman with a job and an apartment and I desperately wanted to hang onto my lifestyle even though having a monogamous relationship was also on my mind.  I wasn’t exactly actively looking, but in the back of my mind I’d hope to be in a relationship  one day.  One major stumbling block was the idea that I’d have to give up my a major part of my independence.  I don’t even know where that idea came from.  I only remember that I thought that was the situation.  Then I went to see Love Jones.   The main female character was very much like me.  She was young and independent and had a career.  She too was apprehensive about a relationship because she enjoyed her life and didn’t want to give it up.  In the end, she found balance.  She found love and maintained her chosen lifestyle.

I know, I know…Real Romance? In A Movie? Really?

I have to admit, I’m squirming a little as I write about my affection for Love Jones because it sounds a little ridiculous that I would attribute my self-validation to a movie, but I actually did.  Of course, there were other factors in my life that contributed to my sense of self worth,  but back then I was young and I wanted to believe that I could have it all and this movie told me that I could so I adore it for that reason.

Psychological Thriller: The Silence of the Lambs – Released 1991

In 1991, I was only 17 years old, but I remember sitting in the theatre and watching The Silence of the Lambs as if it happened yesterday.  I remember also that I had to produce a fake ID card in order to enter this movie, because it was restricted to 18 plus. In any case, this movie gripped me from beginning to end.  The cast of course was phenomenal, but I was also intrigued by the fact that a person could emotionally manipulate another. This movie was my first introduction to the power of the human mind and its capacities. My 17 year old self was blown away by the thought of “getting inside someone’s head”.  I had never witnessed that side of human behaviour before watching The Silence of the Lambs. Indeed, this movie fuelled a late night discussion afterwards.  My friends and I sat for hours and talked about the ways in which the movie had shocked us and left us in awe. Later, a series of Hannibal were released that were based on a similar story, but none of them had the same effect on me as the first one did.

Suspense: The Usual Suspects – Released in 1995

If I was asked to choose one movie that left an eternal imprint on my mind, I would probably say, The Usual Suspects.  This movie was one of the biggest suspense films of my generation.  Once again the acting was phenomenal, but the story was equally good.  This movie gave us viewers the impression that we were privy to the all the information necessary to follow the plot so that when the “bad guy” is revealed at the end of the movie, we would have time to absorb that information and gage the reaction of the authorities in the film.  In reality, however, we viewers are placed right inside the plot at the end of the movie when the identity of the perpetrator is revealed to us at the exact same time he is revealed to the authorities.  The reaction of shock, therefore, is shared amongst the viewers and the characters in film.  So well done!

This movie is simply an example of a great piece of pop culture from the 1990s as well as an example of exquisite film making.  I have watched it a few more times since its original release date and I am still a fan.  I’ve included the original trailer below for your viewing pleasure.  If you’ve seen it once; watch it again.  If you’ve never seen it, you are in for a treat.