Babyface
Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds is an American singer, songwriter, and producer from Indianapolis who, first with partner L.A. Reid and then on his own, became one of the most successful hitmakers of the late-1980s and 1990s R&B era. As a solo artist he scored lush, quiet-storm hits like 'Whip Appeal' and 'When Can I See You,' while writing and producing a vast catalog for other performers that helped define the decade's romantic contemporary R&B. His signature is a soft-spoken tenor and an ear for elegant, melodically detailed ballads and mid-tempo grooves.
Babyface has repeatedly named Stevie Wonder among the artists he studied most closely, describing how he listened to Wonder's records to work out how the songs were written, and citing Wonder's melodies as a model for his own craft.
listen forCompare the tender, harmonically rich ballad 'Ribbon in the Sky' with Babyface's 'When Can I See You' and hear how both let a soft, unhurried vocal wander through jazz-tinged chord changes that keep resolving somewhere warmer than you expect.
Babyface has cited the Beatles' melodies alongside Stevie Wonder's as the writing that moved him most, saying that almost any pretty melody could catch his ear and pull him toward a song.
listen forSet the plaintive, string-cushioned melody of 'Yesterday' against 'Every Time I Close My Eyes' and notice how both hang their whole appeal on a single aching melodic line you can hum back after one pass.
As a young musician Babyface counted the Jackson 5 among the idols he sought out, and their bright Motown pop-soul sits squarely in the R&B tradition his own up-tempo material draws on.
listen forCue the irresistible, bass-popping bounce of the Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back,' then Babyface's 'This Is for the Lover in You' and hear how both stack airy background harmonies over a bright, up-tempo groove built to move a room.