Yvette Michele — "My Dream" (1997)

peak 90s bubblegum r+b. funkmaster flex promo'd mary j clone. a highly anticipated album i bought on its release date in the summer of `97, it was an instant personal classic. jammed it constantly whilst simultaneously listening to nothing but "the real shit" nyc hiphop and hating on the post-biggie success of "fake ass badboy records."

(hi i've always been a walking contradiction, nice to meet you.)

nothing about it is original or unique whatsoever. she was like a more smooth mary j, her voice reminds me of sade in some of its timbres, and the (excellent) full force production makes for a brilliant game of "name that sample." it is so wonderfully dated. suggestive and sassy, but still pleasant. even at the time, i knew it was "lightweight" and yet that's also why i really loved it.

and she was from the bronx and sang about how cool djs were, so that was instant credibility.

?

anyway, it's an album i've known for most of my life and i'm still not tired of it. very few votes to be cast most likely, but if you like other 90s radio r+b like mary j, aaliyah, + 702 definitely check it out. maybe you even remember one of the singles?

also there's a ton of non-album material she did that's all really good. i'll get some links together for the more substantial ones in a bit. in the meantime, here's the remix for sadat x's "loud hangover" from 1996, which features yvette on the hook and a verse from akinyele:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IthEUXsfA8E

oh yeah, duh forgot to say: polling for 25th anniversary.

I like these polls of non-obvious stuff that I used to be into!

only know “Everyday & Everynight”, which I was all about back then but feels a bit too long now*, and the meatier “I’m Not Feeling You”, which makes great use of its Sylvester sample (“Was It Something That I Said”). will try the album.

*but maybe that’s because I originally only used to hear it as part of some Funkmaster Flex mixtape (that I had? that I heard out? not sure), where it was cut agonizingly short.

or rather: non-obvious stuff *in genres* that I used to be into

it's a genuinely tough choice for me to pick. any of the singles* are a fine choice. i've heard it so many times that every song has been my favorite at one point or another. however, deep cuts are my favorite cuts and this album has one of my favorite songs of the decade. need some time to sort it.

*"everyday + everynight", "i'm not feelin you", "crazy", and (my favorite) "dj keep playin (get your music on)"

so besides the funkmaster flex mixtape features, this feature on oc's "far from yours" is really what put her on my radar. it was timed perfectly to co-promote oc's second album (another highlight of 97) and her debut album and it worked like magic on me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMk7gELBhro

(this is a dance song so ya'll gotta get into it! — oc + yvette perform "far from yours" and "dj keep playin" on teen summit, dec 97.)

she was always hiphop adjacent and very good at it, so this remix is another easy pick on any "best of 90s" playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6MlvGo2Eis

"dj keep playin (black out remix)" with canibus and black rob (rip)
it was promo only and i was lucky enough to record it off the radio the one time they played it.

some of the singles did okay, but the album flopped. as more time passed, i always kind of shook my head with a chuckle that the running dj theme starts with him announcing that he loves the album even though nobody even wanted it. big sigh. too on the mark lol. she's still around in some capacity, but was never really heard from again in music. i love her short period of activity so much that she still remains one of my favorite singers ever.

(bonus track: lip synch performance of "everyday & everynight" on soul train from 96)

listening to this album this morning. I find it enjoyable, not exceptional. among the new-to-me tracks “Crazy” is the standout.

enjoyable, not exceptional

exactly this. it's not some lost classic or anything. just a damn solid album.

played it 3 times since making this post yesterday and i swore to myself i was going to be responsible and vote for one of the singles, but nah. it's "let's stay together."

or the title track.

or "the way i feel"

. . . dammit

Shit, I can't decide on a fav here.

oh, hello my friends on ile discussing STEPHANIE MILLS.👋🏻

did you know that track 8 on this album is a cover of STEPHANIE MILLS?

you should check out this album and vote for a favorite song because you'll probably like it if you also like STEPHANIE MILLS.👍🏻

(i have still not voted. "let's stay together" is the current frontrunner. still kind of unbelievable that such a catchy song was never even a b-side. also: the beat holy shit.)

RATED 4.5 STARS BY ALLMUSIC.COM!

(seriously, how could this be the first time i looked her up on allmusic!?! stay down, leo stanley. apparently? classic nondescript amg review, too. time really doesn't exist.)

Her Wikipedia page is as basic as I’ve ever seen for an artist page (it even has a misspelling).

big sigh.

BUT YOU STILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO REVISIT THIS HIDDEN GEM AND VOOOOTTTEEE!!!!

"let's stay together"

xpost to Same Title, Different Song