Babyface’s Finest Productions

Written By Kensedeobong Okosun

Babyface belongs to R&B royalty, the creme de la creme of music production and counts among the foremost players ( alongside Diane Warren, Darryl Simon, Narada Walden, Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam, Dallas Austin, R.Kelly, etc) on the 1990s R&B musicscape. He has worked with a plethora of artistes either as songwriter or producer from Michael Jackson to Pink. One of the markers of distinction attained by any R&B artist in the 1990s would be a close association with Babyface in one way, shape or form. I suppose the question at this point would be who hasn’t he worked with? Who was deprived of his midas touch?

He possesses a distinctive percussionary signature which functions as a DNA imprint in all his romantic and ballady productions and lends his works easy recognizability just like the productions of Ne-yo or The Neptunes.

This playlist contains some of Mr Babyface’s non-collaborative (which are innumerable) and singlehandedly executed productions from the 1990s.

  1. After 7. “Cryin’ For It” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxuKCIuOMHA‍ ‍Reflections (1995).

  2. AZ Yet. “I Don’t Want To Be Lonely” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDC79MplFdw‍ ‍AZ Yet (1996).

  3. Boyz II Men. “Water Runs Dry” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOHwmYGbyaE‍ ‍II (1994).

  4. Dru Hill. “We Are Not Making Love No More” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb-Z3GL7FS8 Soundtrack to Soul Food (1997).

  5. Eric Clapton. “Change The World” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x11NA63gLDM Soundtrack to Phenomenon (1996).

  6. Gladys Knight. “I Don’t Want To Know” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yGqtQeqqIMJust For You (1994).

  7. Jon B. “Pretty Girl” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvfcNzZQDk‍ ‍Bonafide (1995).

  8. Karyn White. “Can I Stay With You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q28CTDjEG8w‍ ‍Make Him Do Right (1994).

  9. Kevon Edmonds. “A Girl Like You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTBd2Qreyhk‍ ‍24/7 (1999).

  10. Madonna. “Take A Bow” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz9jSZc-H3wBedtime Stories (1994).

  11. Mary J. Blige. “Missing You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZzgzLTUxQwShare My World (1997).

  12. Phil Collins. “True Colors” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnO0Ixdyz5Y‍ ‍….Hits (1998).

  13. Shanice Wilson. “Ain’t Got No Remedy” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f5siOSIY9E‍ ‍Shanice (1999).

  14. TLC. “Red Light Special” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKfY8nnd-oACrazySexyCool (1994).

  15. Toni Braxton. “Find Me A Man” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbZU9vXRrE4Secrets (1996).

  16. Usher. “Bedtime” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFaq0w2ZH3EMy Way (1997).

  17. Vanessa Williams. “Betcha Never” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDu9p4wJOx8‍ ‍The Sweetest Days (1994).

  18. Whitney Houston. “Exhale (Shoop, Shoop)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ3PEtkIw1k Soundtrack to Waiting to Exhale (1995).

Kensedeobong Okosun

Kensedeobong Okosun is a music enthusiast, music researcher, music journalist with expertise in music selection & planning, vocalist and an author. Her academic article “Sisterhood and Soul Music as expressions of Black Power” is featured in the edited volume, Black Power in Hemispheric Perspective (Raussert & Steinitz, eds, 2022). She has reviewed Dorothea Gail’s Weird American Music for the Forum for Interamerican Research (fiar, 2019). Her literary review on Nigerian music titled “Nigerians and their Music” has been published on the Nigerian news platform Sun News Online, while her article “Remembering Victor Uwaifo, “Guitar Boy” and the quest to meet Mami Wata” graced The Nigerian Observer.

Kensedeobong’s blog highlights music’s interconnectivity with society and comprises personal music experiences, researched information, concept playlists for multiple themes, etc.

A hard-core 90s R&B fan, she utilises the vehicle of memory, to position long forgotten music of yesteryears on the front-burner.

She is persuaded that music is a core conduit of collective harmony, equanimity, vitality and healing. And as such requires criticality in the filtration process, in order to disseminate meaning. Her blog promotes music equality and diversity.

She resides in Germany.

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Babyface: The Man With The Midas Touch