1995 was a year of powerful performances from solo artists. From Seal's beautifully measured reading of "A Kiss From a Rose" to Alanis Morissette's barely contained rage on her debut single "You Oughta Know," pop music audiences tuned in to the solo voice.
1. Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know
Alanis Morissette's debut sent shock waves through the music industry. No pop singer had ever laid bare the anger and pain of a relationship gone bad quite so explicitly. "You Oughta Know" clearly touched a nerve and led audiences into the complex, intricate songcraft of the phenomenally successful Jagged Little Pill album.
2. Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise
Prior to 1995, Coolio was mostly known for lighter, more humorous rap that provided an alternative to West Coast gangsta rap. The rivetingly atmospheric "Gangsta's Paradise" was such a shift in focus that Coolio's record label decided to leave it off his own solo album and instead put it on the soundtrack to the film Dangerous Minds. When released as a single, "Gangsta's Paradise" became one of the biggest hits of the year spreading its social commentary on ghetto life from coast to coast.
3. Mariah Carey - Fantasy
Using Tom Tom Club's instrumental track from "Genius Of Love" as backdrop to Mariah Carey's effortlessly soaring vocals was a stroke of genius. This romantic gem remains the best single recording of Carey's phenomenal career.
4. Seal - A Kiss From a Rose
This was another single saved from obscurity by its inclusion on a movie soundtrack. "A Kiss From a Rose" was featured as the love them in the Batman Forever film. Seal's perfectly balanced, acrobatic, romantic vocals make this otherwise simply pleasant song a work of art.
5. TLC - Waterfalls
Slinky, gently insistent backing horns and guitar combine with smooth, languid vocals to create an instant r&b classic on TLC's "Waterfalls." Beyond its audio appeal, the song is a disturbing commentary on street violence and its impact on the lives of young black men.
6. Martin Page - In the House Of Stone and Light
Martin Page is a classic one hit wonder. This effortless mainstream pop nugget followed Page's success as songwriter of such mainstream pop hits as Starship's "We Built This City" and Heart's "These Dreams." "In the House Of Stone and Light" is not artistically innovative, but it nearly perfectly encapsulates the mainstream of pop circa 1995. Page faded from sight as an artist after this one hit.
7. Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You
Edwyn Collins is a Scottish peformer who put together one of the most catchy and unique sounding pop hits of the air. On "A Girl Like You" he sounds like a more pop-oriented Iggy Pop. Unfortunately, Collins failed to replicate this success.
8. Shaggy - Boombastic
Here is where the dancehall sub-genre of reggae broke through to the American pop charts. Shaggy's personal charm shines through in the funky grooves.
9. Presidents Of the United States Of America - Lump
In the onslaught of Seattle bands after the grunge revolution, the humorous approach of Presidents Of the United States Of America is unique. "Lump" is punk in instrumental style, but it is as insanely catchy as bubblegum pop.
10. Lisa Loeb - Do You Sleep?
Lisa Loeb rose quickly to stardom on the heels of her hit "Stay" from the soundtrack to the film Reality Bites. "Do You Sleep?" is the first hit from her first solo album Tails. It is a song about relationship difficulties, but Loeb's approach is a quietly insistent counterpoint to the noisy rage of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know."
