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new jack swingquiet storm

Aaron Hall

8 tracks across 6 playlists

Cleveland-bred singer who gave Guy its lead vocal — and therefore gave Teddy Riley's New Jack Swing its first true voice. The hand-on-heart melisma on 'I Like' and 'Groove Me' became the template for an entire decade of R&B vocalists. His solo run carried the lineage forward: 'I Miss You,' the swaggering 'Don't Be Afraid' (Juice soundtrack, 1992), and a deep stash of slow jams that get less play now than they should. Underrated as a writer, foundational as a stylist. Half of 90s R&B sang his vibrato whether they realized it or not.