Jack Swing Ballad
tagStarted 1988Peak 1991-1994Last big hit 1996
Located in 1 route
The slow-jam counterpart to new jack swing: half-time swung programmed drums, lush synth pads and electric-piano chords under pleading, melisma-heavy lead vocals and stacked harmonies. Bedroom-tempo and emotionally direct — the swingbeat producers' template slowed down for quiet-storm-style devotion and heartbreak.
History
Babyface and L.A. Reid, DeVante Swing and Teddy Riley applied swingbeat production to ballads, yielding Jodeci's gospel-soaked slow jams and Boyz II Men's harmony epics. 'End of the Road' (1992), written by Babyface, Reid and Daryl Simmons, topped the Hot 100 for 13 weeks, cementing the slow new jack ballad as a chart powerhouse.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_the_Road_(Boyz_II_Men_song)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_My_Lady
- https://www.billboard.com/pro/rewinding-the-charts-in-1992-boyz-ii-men-took-the-high-road/