- It's About Time · 1992
- It's About Time · 1992
- Release Some Tension · 1997
- It's About Time · 1992
- The Civilian 2 · 2020
- Ghetto + Luv + Storiez · 2020
- The Sound of New Jack Swing · 2020
- Lost & Found 3 · 2020
- The Big Day · 2019
- Weak - EP · 2018
- Weak - EP · 2018
- Weak - EP · 2018
- Weak - EP · 2018
Essential Albums
- Guided by three friends from Brooklyn and the Bronx, It’s About Time kicked off a new R&B era by encouraging young, black female artists to be themselves. “Blak Pudd’n” and “Downtown” address sex from a lady’s perspective, while SWV take control of a hip-hop beat on “Anything”. With a hook you simply can’t get out of your head, “Weak” is a ’90s R&B standard, but it’s “That’s What I Need” and “You’re Always On My Mind”—a pair of lush, hypnotic ballads—that epitomise the trio’s mature-beyond-their-years vibe.
Albums
- 2014
- 2004
- 2004
- 2004
Artist Playlists
- Airtight harmonies from New York R&B royalty.
Singles & EPs
More To Hear
- Female legends and pioneers, played back-to-back.
- Throwbacks from Rick James, Prince, and Diana Ross.
- The Grammy-nominated group talks N.E.R.D., Thundercat, and more.
About SWV
Powered by lush harmonies and frank, vulnerable lyrics laid over hip-hop influenced production, SWV ushered in a new era of R&B in the ‘90s. SWV—an abbreviation for Sisters With Voices—were formed by Cheryl “Coko” Gamble, Leanne “Lelee” Lyons and Tamara “Taj” Johnson in New York City in the late 1980s. With backgrounds in gospel, the trio were inspired to move toward R&B by the success of the innovative Boston-based singing group New Edition. The influence of that band suffuses SWV’s first album, 1992’s It’s About Time, which spawned multiple successful singles, including the masterfully layered, high-energy “I’m So Into You” and the emotionally raw ballad “Weak”. By melding their personal styles with the burgeoning subgenre of new jack swing, SWV crafted a sound all their own, one that exuded passion, romance, self-worth and autonomy. SWV’s 1996 followup, New Beginning, introduced the group’s evolved take on the hip-hop/R&B hybridised style on such tracks as “You’re the One”, a serenade with bounce about committing to an inevitably blissful partnership. The following year, the group delivered Release Some Tension, highlighted by the reflective, metaphorically rich “Rain”. After a 15-year hiatus, SWV reunited in 2012 for I Missed Us, a throwback to their early work that was simultaneously forward-thinking in its modern R&B production. In 2016, the group released the sleek and sensual Still, advancing their commitment to consistently updating the blueprint for contemporary soul.
- ORIGIN
- New York, NY, United States
- FORMED
- 1990
- GENRE
- R&B/Soul