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Playlist
Playlist: The songs we can’t wait to hear at Made in the 90’s
"Going down the backstreet listening to Blackstreet"
With a new decade beginning, nostalgia is well and truly in the air – lucky we have Made In The 90’s to help us out.
Following two massive tours in 2011 and 2012, featuring the likes of ‘90s superstars Ralph Tresvant, 112, Jon B, and Color Me Badd, the 2020 edition promises a night of nonstop hits and massive old school love.
Headlining the 2020 Made In The 90’s lineup are Grammy Award winners Blackstreet – in their first-ever Australian shows – alongside Next, All-4-One, Mario Winans, Renee Zheufville (of ZHANÉ), and CDB.
Basically, this lineup is absolutely bursting with hits but because we’ll take any excuse to indulge our nostalgia, we’ve put together a little playlist of the tunes we are most looking forward to hearing when Made In The 90’s rolls through our city.
Blackstreet – No Diggity
Could we start this playlist with anything else? Not only did Blackstreet’s 1996 single ‘No Diggity’ score the band a Grammy for Best RNB Performance (and a nom for Best R&B Song), not only did it reach the top 10 in 20 countries but ‘No Diggity’ is also the song that ended ‘Macarena”s 14-week reign atop the Billboard Hot 100 – huge.
In the two-plus decades since, ‘No Diggity’ has remained Blackstreet’s pièce de résistance, regularly featuring as one of the best songs of the ’90s and one of the greatest R&B tunes of all time.
Blackstreet – Don’t Leave Me
Okay, you’ve pulled our legs, of course, we’ll keep chatting about our favourite Blackstreet songs
While ‘No Diggity’ was a huge hit with R&B and hip hop fans, when Blackstreet headed into ballad territory a year later, ‘Don’t Leave Me’ pushed the group even further, giving them more mainstream attention than ever before. While it didn’t reach the heights of ‘No Diggity’ it is still an incredible moment in their catalogue and we can’t wait to hear these harmonies in real life when the band headline Made In The 90’s.
Next – Too Close
1997 was also the year that Next blessed us with absolute jam ‘Too Close’. Maybe we didn’t consider quite what we were all singing about in our school dance halls or on dancefloors around the world, but you’ve got to admit it – it’s got a really catchy melody. And the band’s singer R.L. Huggar wanted it that way, saying “I wanted to be able to say something so slick, you didn’t realize until later that it was about what it was about. How can I say something that they don’t even realize at first because of the melody?” Those sneaky cats.
All-4-One – I Swear
Right across musical history, you’ll find instances where artists take a previously released song, rework it, and do such a good job that the song is forever known as theirs, with the original somewhat forgotten. Sinead O’Connor did it, so did Joan Jett, Elvis Presley, The Clash, No Doubt, and even Whitney Houston – fact is, you might know the covers so well that you aren’t even sure which singles we might be referring too.
Another big one on the list are Made In The 90’s stars All-4-One and their smash hit ‘I Swear’. Are you surprised to know that only five months earlier country artist John Michael Montgomery released the track as the lead single from his second album? Enough about him though, because All-4-One’s smooth R&B take has seen it become one of the greatest songs of all time.
Mario Winans – I Don’t Wanna Know
Did we all know this song was released 16 years ago? Surely it isn’t just us feeling like we first heard ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ only a few years ago. Topping the charts in the UK, Netherlands, and Scotland, it peaked at number 2 here in Australia. It had the same fate in the US – where it was held off number 1 by two Usher singles. But with eight weeks at number two, it joins the likes of Missy Elliott’s ‘Work It’ and Shania Twain’s ‘You’re Still the One’ for songs that stayed at number two for a while without reaching number one. Hey, an achievement is an achievement.
Chart position aside, ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ is sure to be a highlight of your Made In The ‘90s.
ZHANÉ – Hey Mr DJ
We love that Renee Zheufville is still holding it down for Zhanè because it means that we have to chance to hear ‘Hey Mr DJ’ in the flesh. Drawing on the sound of the ‘70s layered with an R&B groove that is quintessentially from the ‘90s, this tune has well and truly stood the test of time.
CDB – Let’s Groove Tonight
Holding it down on the local front are Aussie R&B groovers CDB, and we couldn’t put them on the list without mentioning their incredible cover of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s ‘Let’s Groove’. Standing tall alongside the original, CDB took the ‘80s disco hit and turned it into the perfect ‘90s boyband pop-R&B tune. And we still can’t get enough.
Made In The ’90s will transform Big Top Luna Park, Sydney on Friday 6 March and Palais Theatre, Melbourne on Saturday 7 March. Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au.
