One of my favorite singers Whitney Houston—aptly nicknamed “The Voice”—overshadowed a lot of close seconds during her era. Here are a few that I have come to appreciate after discovering their songs in adulthood (thanks Youtube):
LISA FISCHER “How Can I Ease the Pain?”
Homegirl was a backup singer for like 22 years--and this song was the only blip in her solo singing career. Her high octane voice commanding a room and an audience—reminds me of the powerhouse vocals in Adele’s “Hello” and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” She could have rode the grammy wave for this song but she went back in her shell. She felt more comfortable as a backup vocalist—most notable for working with the band The Rolling Stones since 1989 and Luther Vandross for 22 years! The documentary 20 Feet from Stardom talks about all the backup singers, and Lisa Fischer seems to own that space. The documentary referenced the song “Take a walk on the Wild side” by Lou Reed when he sings the lyrics "And the Colored Girls go do da doo doot da doot do..!" in which he was talking about this very thing—back up singers like Lisa giving the seasoning that rock and roll needed!
CHANTAY SAVAGE “Betcha Never Find”
Reminds me of that “Forget Me Nots” song—such a fantastic voice!
Me’LISA my favorite ballad:”Do Me Baby”
What Whitntey Houston did with Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” is the what Meli’sa did with Prince’s “Do Me baby.” She revamped it like an OG. I can’t believe I only discovered this song last year. I remember where I was, too: in the parking lot of an auto mechanics shop waiting on my car to be repaired. It was an otherwise mundane moment that Meli’sa’s song totally immortalized.
SHANICE “Silent Prayer” and “If I Never Knew You” (w/Jon Secada)
Yes, you may know Shanice for her catchy “I Love Your Smile” but her duet with Jon Secada was enchanting!
ATHENA CAGE “Get Up on It” (w/Keith Sweet)
I’ve been loving Kut Klose ever since I discovered them last year! They were like the sister group to TLC and although KK never really climbed to TLC-level of fame, they similarly got shortchanged by their record labels. Keith Sweat, who formed the group, kept Athena in her last name that’s for sure. Thus, she never quite rose to the fame she could have because of the way Keith conducted his girl group of which Athena was the main vocalist. When I listened to this song I was like, whoa who’s voice is that? I can’t believe I had never heard of Athena before, a flower talent that could have bloomed beyond the few songs with Keith for which she is most known.
BRENDA RUSSELL “Piano in the Dark”
I’m not sure which other songs Brenda is known for but I love this song, it’s a beautiful blend of extroverted melody with melancholic undertones.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY Vocals for Marky Marks’ “Good Vibrations”
Loleatta MADE that song—Marky Mark’s one hit wonder (and my favorite workout song).
TAMIA “You Put a Move on My Heart”
Yes, my other favorite is “So Into You” but “You Put a Move on My Heart” next level. Tamia shows us her full range of vocals, it kind of reminds me of Whitney’s “You Give Good Love.”