The Graces of British Soul - Eternal

Saying that Eternal are the best group to ever come out of Britain is an understatement. No one can come close to touching them because, quite frankly, no one can match the exceptional vocal talents of its members. Or better said, three of them. The most interesting thing about Eternal is that they gracefully progressed from somewhat tepid R&B-tinged bubblegum to full-fledged soul tour-de-forces in a very short period of time, deploying an astounding degree of musical finesse and good taste in the process. Their rise to the top of the charts can only be described as a shooting star: wonderful, but ultimately too brief and ending in unperturbed darkness (my attempts at figurative writing are awful, I know). Something that is also very curious about them is that their music was tailor made to fit the tastes of American audiences, but most of their attempts to break the American market failed miserably.

Founded in 1993 by four members of London’s prestigious Italian Conti Academy stage school, the group met success almost instantly with the hip hop-ish 'Stay', which rose to number 4 in the charts and paved the way for their enormously successful début album the next year. The girls soon followed with a string of Top 10 hits that established them as one of Britain’s most successful bands ever. Later next year, the group’s only weak vocalist, the ‘there-just-for-ornamental-purposes’ member Louise Nurding left the band amidst some controversy – she was the only white member, and it was suggested that the other girls, along with the group’s management, had pushed her out so that their chances to become successful in the US would increase. This has, however, been denied by everyone including Louise, who went to become a hugely successful performer in her own right, even if said success was also short-lived.



From there Eternal went to produce some of the best, most beautiful and sophisticated soul/pop ever – forget those annoying old crones The Supremes: all of Eternal’s members can sing circles around them (even Louise), and their material is light years ahead of anything that that whiny-voiced skeleton Diana Ross has ever squawked. However, the massive international success they deserved seemed to elude them, and outside the UK their efforts have fared is a somewhat patchy fashion: some of them have stormed the charts, while some others have just had a mediocre reception. Still, Eternal are the only British girl band who can say that they broke the Top 20 in the US and became very successful in Asia and Australia before the Spice Clowns vomited their filthy musical detritus in our ears.

After many glorious hits, Eternal became tangled in internal struggles that would ultimately bring their demise. Fed up of sharing the spotlight, sisters Vernie and Easter (who has a voice that can easily match Whitney Houston’s once perfect instrument), unceremoniously kicked out Kéllé Bryan, who was inexplicably unsuccessful as a solo artist, and after trying to replace her, released a less than sterling album that critics inexplicably loved. However, sales were dismal and Eternal were almost immediately dropped by their record company. This event was part of the debacle that rocked First Avenue Management and would also destroy Dina Carroll’s career (find more about her here) .



Anyway, if you want to buy any one of Eternal’s albums, go here.

Save Our Love

This is, in my opinion, the best track from Eternal’s début album. The production is impeccable and the beat has an urgency that invites you to dance, but doesn’t keep you from appreciating the beauty of the melody, the catchy chorus or the superb vocals. It is also very pleasant as background music (as all of their early offerings), and will lift your mood whenever you’re feeling down. Just what bubblegum ought to be.

Someday

The theme song for Disney’s nasty raping of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece 'The Hunchback of Nôtre Dame', this is one of the most beautiful songs that Eternal ever sang, which is saying a lot. In was released everywhere except in the US, where it was given to the infinitely less talented All-4-One. However, it was a massive hit worldwide, and is one of the finest tracks in their masterful sophomore album, Power Of A Woman. Truly delightful. Video.

Don’t You Love Me?

This is the gorgeous first single for their third album Before The Rain – like I Wanna Be The Only One (keep reading), it was a huge hit, but this song has more merit because it’s very unconventional: there are not many displays of vocal power or range in it, and it addresses social issues such as poverty, racial isolation and homelessness in a naïve, yet very charming way. Needless to say, I LOVE this song, as it’s one of their best. Video.

I Wanna Be The Only One – duet with BeBe Winans

This is just Heavenly (yes, with a capital H). It is the group’s only number 1 hit, and is one of the fondest memories I have of my adolescence – when I first heard it, I fell in love with them and have religiously followed everything they’ve done ever since. Probably most of you already know about it, but just allow me to say that it is a VERY well deserved hit that ought to have won the award for the Best Single category in the BRIT Awards, instead of All Saint’s soporific and shitty Never Ever. The original video is nice enough, but I'd rather post this awesome live performance.

Finally, I’d like to say that I’ve had a really difficult time finding photos of Eternal (I’d never post scans – I hate them), and none of them had all the girls together – that’s why I’ve had to post gorgeous Louise’s photo apart. Sorry. :-)