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1994

Op 22 maart verschijnt hun eerste album bij A&M Records: It's A Natural Thang

Een recensie vertelt:

Though they entered the market at a time when girl groups were a dime a dozen and poor promotion was a death sentence, For Real is definitely the real deal.
Covering musical styles from Zhané to The Jackson 5 to Miki Howard, Necia, T, Josina and Wendi exhibit exceptional skills and harmonies that easily put them in a class with En Vogue and Brownstone. One listen to the acapella “You Don't Know Nothin'" leaves no doubt that For Real's lack of recognition is through no fault of their own. Though this album doesn't have any real stand-out tracks, it makes for pleasant listening.

Tevens worden er drie singles gemaakt van dit album:

Easy To Love (de clip is gemaakt door Jason Hess voor ENS Productions, A&M Records; zie Youtube, of Youtube, of AllMusic )
You Don't Wanna Miss (filmpje: AllMusic of Youtube)
You Don't Know Nothin'

De clip die bij de laatste single hoort wordt door de oom van Necia, Kevin Bray, gemaakt. Hierin is grappig genoeg Mervyn Warren (een van de componisten) te zien (rond 2:09). Zie: Youtube of: Youtube of: AllMusic
Het nummer is geschreven door Hallerin Hill en Mervyn Warren.

De dames acteren in de film Shake, Rattle and Rock! als de groep The Sirens, met Latanyia als “Sireena".

De augustus-editie van VIBE bevat een interview met ze. Een selectie hieruit:

When you first see For Real, it's like having double vision, twice. There they are, four short-hared, light-skinned honeys looking like fabulous quadruplets. And when they open their mouths and sing a cappella – as they recently did in the middle of a T.G.I. Friday's in Manhattan – the harmonizing sound is so thunderously angelic (and on-key) that it too seems manufactured. And that is exactly why the California-living, vegetarian-eating, no-alcohol-drinking, God-fearing sisters chose the name For Real.
As Josina, 27, will tell you, “For Real means real vocals." Necia, 20, adds, “We wrote 75 percent of the lyrics. A lot of the lyrics where from life experiences." Says LaTanyia, 25, “Our personalities are down-to-earth." Wendi, 28, concludes, “It's a natural thing."

A regular day for these women consist of working out, rehearsing, and having their own private time, which isn't easy. They live together in a five-bedroom, six-bathroom house in the San Fernando Valley.
As Necia explains it, “We take turns getting on each other's nerves. We know how to compromise, so that makes it a lot easier."
Josina adds, “We work, live, and play together, so we're like family."
Actually, Josina and Wendi are cousins. Josina was a member of the original For Real (with different members), Wendi joined after college, and Necia and LaTanyia auditioned four years ago. “We got compared with all the girl groups," says Necia. But like Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell once sang, “Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby."

Stevie Wonder vraagt de groep, na het album gehoord te hebben, om mee te werken aan zijn album Conversation Peace.
Daarna vraagt hij ze om mee te gaan op zijn “Natural Wonder" tour. Ze zijn opening act en ze zingen hier en daar BGV.

1995

In januari zingen ze nog tijdens de “Natural Wonder" tour. Een krantenartikel vertelt dat ze backup zangers zijn, en een song acappella zingen.

Dit jaar verschijnt het nummer Freedom als single. Over de achtergrond van deze single (bron: wikipedia ):

The all-star recording of both the song and solemn black-and-white video for “Freedom" took place directly after the American Music Awards in 1995. According to its promotional single's liner notes, the song was a tribute to women of the past like Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Shirley Chisholm, and Angela Davis who played major roles in black resistance, as well as the empowerment of women of the present.
“Freedom" is a cover of a song originally performed by underground R&B singer Joi on her acclaimed 1994 album Pendulum Vibe. The song was re-recorded as the official theme for the award winning film Panther. The song was produced by Dallas Austin and Diamond D. The song featured female R&B singers, who at the time were popular acts in R&B and/or Pop music.

In oktober verschijnt het album Inner City Blues – The Music of Marvin Gaye. Ze zingen in een duet met Stevie Wonder het nummer Stubborn Kind Of Fellow (track 7).

In november verschijnt het album Waiting To Exhale: Original Soundtrack. Track 14 wordt door For Real gezongen: Love Will Be Waiting At Home. (Youtube (audio only))

Ze verschijnen in de Italiaanse Vogue, als modellen die herenpakken showen.

For Real: biografie

Artikelindex

1994

1995