Flashback Friday: Adina Howard and Olivia
This Friday, let’s show love to a couple of women who were hit with the dreaded “one-hit wonder” label. They had a few more hits than you may remember.
Adina Howard, Do You Wanna Ride? (1995)
My girl Adina might be the posterchild for 90s One Hit Wonders, but she’s more than a hot single. Her debut album was very, very good. It was also very, very freaky, but that’s to be expected. Adina’s an underrated vocalist and the album’s production was top-notch at the time. This album is way better than you’d expect.
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What ever happened to: Adina Howard
Olivia (2001)
Olivia is mostly remembered for her mid-00s stint with G-Unit and Love & Hip-Hop foolishness, but she was making music way before then. I picked up her 2001 debut on a whim, thanks to her absurdly catchy single “Bizounce.” While that song was the clear standout, there were a few other decent songs scattered about.
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Now, it’s your turn. Email soulinstereoblog@gmail.com hit me up on Twitter @etbowser, or stop by the comments section and share your Flashback Friday album. Leave a couple of sentences describing what makes it so great. I’ll feature your album on the blog.
Soul In Stereo, what’s happening?! I actually have 2 album choices for Flashback Friday, both were either entirely produced or co-produced by the conductor of New Jack Swing, Teddy Riley. The first one is the more successful of the two, “Another Level” by Blackstreet. While “No Diggity” and “Don’t Leave Me” are classics in their own right, joints such as “Never Gonna Let You Go” “My Paradise (Interlude)”, not to mention how they made “(Money Can’t) Buy Me Love” into a slow jam, in my opinion made this a well rounded album to enjoy from beginning to end. Vocally and musically, they were in the pocket. The second choice is “Personal” by the group Men Of Vizion. Even with solid production from Teddy and others, plus being on the late, great King Of Pop Michael Jackson (R.I.P.)’s label, to me this album was and still is underrated. “Instant Love”, “House Keeper” and their remake of The Jacksons “Show You The Way To Go” to this day are my standout joints on this album. Again, musically and vocally, definitely in the pocket, playa!
Ooh wee! Definitely featuring these next week, playa.