Much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ segments, readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.  So in a quest to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday we introduced a new retrospective segment – ‘TGJ Replay’.

Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase albums (and eras) from a library of pop music hits.  Today, we go back to birthday boy/‘Back At One’ beau Brian Mcknight‘s greatest hits – ‘From There To Here’…

Before he showed ladies how their you-know-what works, Buffalo born beau Brian McKnight stood as the shining example of how to work a scale.  With his effortless melismatic offerings, the Grammy winner earned many-a-thrown-panty on stage on the hems of his chart-topping R&B numbers.

Blasting onto the scene in 1992 with his debut eponymously titled effort, the masses were first introduced to his soaring tenor via the album’s sole hit ‘One Last Cry’.

‘One Last Cry’

As R&B crooners dominated airwaves – be it the smooth sounds of Babyface, Luther Vandross and Gerald Levert or the time’s rising king of “Raunch & B” R. Kelly, a number of like male singers tried to make their presence felt amongst the pack.  McKnight, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have to try so hard.

His brand of sexy, enabled by a level of subtlety absent from his hypersexual musical counterparts, would earn favor in many a listener.  Such could be found aboard many of his 90s hits like ‘Crazy Love’, ‘Still In Love’, and, of course, his signature tune ‘Anytime’…

‘Still In Love’

‘Anytime’

‘Crazy Love’

The turn of the decade saw Mcknight’s career reach its highest peak on the wings of ‘Back At One’ – his triple platinum effort featuring hits ‘Back At One’ and ‘6-8-12’.  Leading the way for his next album ‘Superhero’, the first couple of years of the millenium showed even more promise for the maestro as the hits kept rolling (see:  wedding favorite ‘Love Of My Life’).

‘Back At One’

‘Love Of My Life’

Since 2003, that roll may have severely decelerated (as has that of R&B as a whole), but despite a that, a few legal and label mishaps, McKnight remains amongst the mentioned when the discussion of R&B’s best vocalists arises.

Unlike many of his counterparts who have seemingly lost their voices to age, habits, or a nasty combo of the two, the ‘Anytime’ maestro is still slaying stages on the regular with his touted rollercoaster of riffs and runs. 

While we at TGJ love us some ‘Crazy Love’, you tell us:

Your thoughts?