En Vogue - "Hold On". Remember when girl groups could actually sing? OK, maybe you do. But do you remember them before hearing the acapella strains of "My Lovin' (Never Gonna Get It)"? If you do, you're either very, very gay or you had friends who were down with the New Jack sound before it hit the mainstream charts. Both apply to me, but I can't remember if someone at my elementary school gave me the Born to Sing cassette or if my nine-years-older brother did. At any rate, I was enthralled.

The original fab four were a match made in heaven. Incomparable voices—stylistically, technically, creatively. The vocal blend was perfect, even when they executed the simultaneous coloratura flourishes. "Hold On" was their very first single and an immediate hit. It opens with an acapella arrangement of Smokey Robison and the Miracles' [and thus, the Jackson 5's] "Who's Lovin' You." Then on the resolution of their last chord, a funky bassline kicks in with a little New Jack beat, punctuated by dissonant trumpet blasts ["played" by Djimon Hounsou in the video!!]. The lyrics, of course, are about as complex as a spoon, but I think that lends a charm that reminds one of the early, early days of true urban pop music. These are real musicians—the kind mom and dad don't mind you listening to. There's no studio trickery or enhancements. What you hear is what really happened in the recording booth. I only ever saw them lip-synch once on TV; every other time they performed, it was full-on vocals with minimal effects.

I won't tell you that I've downloaded almost all of their first three albums in the past two days. Or that I saw them live in Dallas at the beginning of their Funky Divas fame. Or that I compiled a VHS tape of every one of their videos and tons of interviews and live performances from 1990 to 1994—a tape that I had to hide from my mother so that she would think I were a big faggot [see top].