Now That's What I Call The 90s

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Arrested Development finished their banner year by being awarded the Grammy for Best New Artist of 1992. The spiritual quest detailed in "Tennessee" was a big part of the band's success. The uplifting, intelligent lyrics and positive tone seemed to herald a new direction for rap, but it turns out that the gangsta takeover, just a year away, would win out. Jamaican-born Orville Burrell had a huge hit with "Boombastic," one of the first dancehall—a sub-genre of reggae—songs to break through to the American pop charts. Shaggy, who took his stage name from a "Scooby Doo" character, exhibits oodles of personal charm alongside the funky grooves.

Most pop fans thought Tracy Chapman would be relegated to the annals of one-hit-wonderdom based on the success of "Fast Car" from her first album. Then she reappeared with this deeply bluesy crowd pleaser, proving that there is still room for innovation and surprise within the genre. The R&B trio TLC electrified the pop music world with their phenomenal album "Crazysexycool," released in 1994. Then it was a five-year wait for the next installment. Fortunately, "Fan Mail" was nearly as good as its predecessor. "No Scrubs," the leadoff single, is pitch-and-picture-perfect late '90s R&B.With the words "This ain't no disco. It ain't no country club either. This is L.A.," the world was introduced to the neo-folkie, irresistible pop of Sheryl Crow. "All I Wanna Do" unfolds like a mini-movie thanks to Crow's artful vocals, whose lyrics paint a luminous picture of the adventures of Sheryl and "Billy""until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard." By the time the '90s headed toa close, it had been eight years since Whitney Houston had put out a studio album. Music industry legend Clive Davis convinced her to record a new set of songs, and the resulting album, "My Love Is Your Love," includes some of her best work. "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" is a hard-hitting anthem for women on the way out of relationships that sounds great on the radio and on the dance floor. This remains one of the best-ever autobiographical songs by a pop recording artist. "Motownphilly" details the group's discovery by Michael Bivins, of New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe fame, and their first taste of stardom. The a cappella break is simply gorgeous. It's difficult to remember now the image of Sinead O'Connor prior to the controversial television appearances that nearly brought down her career, but few pop performers have put together more powerful, heart-stopping performances than this. The song itself, written by Prince, is outstanding, but Sinead's emotional, gutsy performance made it a classic. Painful loss meets stunning vocal beauty with a perfectly understated instrumental arrangement. This band, led by Bob Dylan's son Jakob, spent over a year on the pop singles chart with this quiet masterpiece. Jakob Dylan's vocals have an alluring world-weariness that at times are a dead ringer for Tom Petty's voice.

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Joanna Lumley and her husband Stephen Barlow invite you into their home for a fascinating, funny journey into their shared love of music.