The 90s R&B Chords You've Heard a Thousand Times

Video Description

90s R&B had a signature sound, and one of the key ingredients was the I - bVI - bVII chord progression. This progression shaped some of the biggest hits of the decade, including "Kiss from a Rose" (Seal), "I Adore Mi Amor" (Color Me Badd), "It's For You" (Shanice), "All I Wanna Do" (Sheryl Crow), "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Robyn), and more. In this video, we’ll break down how this progression works, why it feels so nostalgic, and how voice leading can make it sound smoother and more expressive. We’ll also explore an alternate version with Major 7th chords to add even more depth to the sound. Some of the best 90s R&B sounds can be found on the Meteor Man Soundtrack, where Shanice's "It's For You" originated. (Also a personal favorite.) Others include albums by Boyz II Men, Quincy Jones, Whitney Houston, Jodeci, Soul For Real, All 4 One, Color Me Badd, TLC, En Vogue, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Seal, Brian McKnight, Tevin Campbell, 98 Degrees, 112, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Prince(/The Artist), Jamie Foxx, Toni Braxton, and even early albums by 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. For early release lessons and other content, or if you just want to support me making more videos on the music theory, history, and techniques behind classic pop songs, check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/HowPopMusicWorks. 0:00 Intro 0:16 90s R&B Trends 0:42 bVI - bVII - I Progression 1:30 Building bVI - bVII - I in Root Position 2:55 Contrary Motion 4:29 Why the bVI - bVII - I works 6:00 The Major 7 Variation 6:28 Building the Major 7 Variation 9:03 Major 7 Enhances 9:32 Outro Background music arranged by me, based on the chords of "Take Me There" by Bob James from his excellent 90s album, *Joyride*. Photo of Power Play Studios, Studio A, at 0:36 courtesy of Cary Hart.