"Whatever," En Vogue (1997)

A slinky come-on from an all-time great girl group.

Peak: #8 on the R&B chart (#16 on the Hot 100)
Streams: 1.6 million

In this house, we respect En Vogue. Shortly after Milli Vanilli was exposed as a lip-syncing fraud, the record industry aggressively promoted acts that could really, obviously sing, which is partly why previously featured LSP artist Mariah Carey blew up right away. It’s also what helped En Vogue set the template for 90s girl groups. They had the look and the attitude, yes, but more than similar 80s acts like Expose and Bananarama, they also had incredible vocal chops. From the a cappella version of “Who’s Lovin’ You” that teases the opening of their song “Hold On” to the intricate harmonies on hits like “My Lovin’” and “Free Your Mind,” they always let us know that they were in complete control of their instruments.

They still are, by the way. I saw En Vogue in concert in 2022, as part of a Mixtape Tour that also featured New Kids on the Block, Salt ‘n Pepa, and one of my first pop music crushes, Rick Astley. Though only two of En Vogue’s original members remain, they still sound fantastic, and believe me I was rocking hard when they hit me with their hot hits.

And while I understand that they didn’t have time to sing “Whatever” as part of a multi-act bill, I still cherish it as one of their all-time best. The first single from the album EV3, it was also their first single without original member Dawn Lewis, but it still absolutely sounds like an En Vogue song.