R&B Reggae
Located in 1 route
The late-1980s-and-90s fusion of contemporary R&B with reggae: slick, keyboard-and-drum-machine production, R&B song structures and vocal runs married to a reggae bounce or lovers-rock rhythm, aimed squarely at the pop and urban charts. Smooth, sung leads glide over programmed beats and warm synth pads, blending swingbeat and quiet-storm polish with a Caribbean lilt. The mood is romantic, radio-ready and crossover. It is where reggae met the R&B mainstream.
History
R&B reggae took off as reggae singers pursued the American urban market: Maxi Priest topped the US chart with the reggae-soul ballad "Close to You," Diana King's "Shy Guy" fused dancehall and R&B into a global hit, and Bitty McLean, Inner Circle and UB40 landed sung reggae-R&B crossovers on daytime and Billboard radio. Producers blended reggae rhythms with new-jack-swing and quiet-storm production, and the style set the stage for the reggae-fusion and dancehall-R&B collaborations of the 2000s. It broadened reggae's commercial reach and permanently linked the genre to R&B songcraft.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Close to You(1990) — Maxi PriestSpotifyYouTube
- Shy Guy(1995) — Diana KingSpotifyYouTube
- It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)(1993) — Bitty McLeanSpotifyYouTube
- Sweat (A La La La La Long)(1992) — Inner CircleSpotifyYouTube
- Here I Am (Come and Take Me)(1990) — UB40SpotifyYouTube
- Tempted to Touch(1990) — Beres HammondSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae (2004)
- Lloyd Bradley, Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital (2013)
- Dave Thompson, Reggae & Caribbean Music (2002)