Jodeci
Jodeci was a Charlotte, North Carolina vocal quartet — brothers K-Ci and JoJo Hailey and cousins DeVanté Swing and Mr. Dalvin — who fused gospel-honed harmonies with new jack swing's programmed drums into the raw, street-inflected style later called hip-hop soul. Their 1991 debut Forever My Lady made them one of the decade's most influential R&B acts.
Guy and producer Teddy Riley effectively invented the new jack swing template — programmed drums under vocal-group harmony — that Jodeci built their entire sound on.
listen forPlay Guy's 'I Like' before Jodeci's 'Forever My Lady' — listen for the same clipped, syncopated drum programming holding up smooth, layered vocal harmony.
New Edition's teen R&B vocal-group blueprint — tight harmonies fronted by charismatic lead singers — is the direct ancestor of Jodeci's own quartet format.
listen forPlay New Edition's 'Can You Stand the Rain' before Jodeci's 'Freek'n You' — listen for the same vocal-group interplay, filtered through a grittier, more adult sound.
The harmonic sophistication and emotive vocal runs in Jodeci's ballads draw generally on the kind of soul songwriting Stevie Wonder helped define a generation earlier.
listen forCue Wonder's 'Ribbon in the Sky' next to Jodeci's 'Cry For You' — listen for the similarly unhurried, richly harmonized balladry.