After their 1990 sophomore album release, The Future, R&B trio Guy began an extended hiatus. Teddy Riley went on to form another group, Blackstreet and then become an in-demand producer. While Aaron Hall would go on to start his solo career with the risqué ballad “Don’t Be Afraid.” Like most R&B fans, I was curious to know what the third member of Guy, Damion “Crazy Legs” Hall, would do.
Hall previously showcased his solo vocal talents on the Forte song “Holding On” from the Zebrahead soundtrack two years prior, and did some Gospel plays here and there. However, not many folks know Hall released a solo project in 1994. For that reason, I wanted to give Hall the Slow Jam Saturday spotlight with his 1994 debut solo single “Satisfy You” feat. Chanté Moore. Bryan Loren handles production on the track and caters well to Hall’s voice.
Music heads know that the song was initially offered to Michael Jackson during the recording sessions for “Dangerous.” The King of Pop passed on the song but let the song’s producer, Bryan Loren, know he would sing backup if Loren kept the song for himself.
Set to a luxuriant instrumental sound, “Satisfy You” exemplifies nineties R&B. Hall opens the song crooning, “Hey girl, my only wish is to satisfy you.” He then takes his vocal register up a tad over the track, allowing the listener to feel Hall’s emotion for his lady. The icing on the cake in the song, though, is the vocal compliments that Moore and Hall’s voices give each other.
“Satisfy You” was the perfect song to introduce Hall as a solo artist, and hearing the song validates that the singer should have had more chances to sing lead on Guy’s tracks. Hall never tries to emulate his older brother but instead shows his own style in a great way.
Final Grade: A
“Satisfy You” isn’t available on any major streaming platforms; however, it is available on YouTube.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.