each of my three favs (mint, ttt and jodeci) had a weakness).
jodeci: couldnt make uptempos to save thier lifes (let go through the emotions and their very first single where they were wearing the fireman outfit were "meh"), and despite DOAM and FML being very popular album, the 2nd half of the albums were that good sounding.
ttt: they never had a strong singer like like k-ci (jodeci), lil g (silk), stokley (mint), wanya (boyz), mark middleton (blkstreet) etc. dont get me wrong, raphael and dwayne could sing, but they werent powerhouse vocal front men like the other groups had.
mint: uptempo singles were average and they were always in the shadows of other artists, mainly ttt. also they played it very safe, and never got over that hump that they should have.
but with these said though mint condition is my favorite and they outlasted everyone and they win longevity (along with boyz ii men), ttt might be the best overall group when discussing just the 90s. besides not having a strong vocalist like other groups, they did everything else well. they had #1 hits/numerous top 10 rnb/pop hits all their albums sold/no flops, they could make uptempo/mids AND ballads, they wrote a lot and produced most of their own shit, could play live, had really good albums especially 'sons of soul' and 'house of music', had their own "style"/"image", memorable songs with replay value til this day, etc. they were very versatile. probably the most versatile male rnb group of the 90s. thats why i said they are probably the best overall. its a shame raphael and dwayne had a falling out and broke up the group in 1997. smh.
but mint is still my favorite. though mint condition werent as big as boyz ii men jodeci, they still had moderate success and were able to keep their career going and consistently dropped great music despite the dozens and dozens of other groups/competition in the 90s. mint was able to make consistent albums (every 2-3 years,..and yes the albums were that good, listen to them if you havent or check out reviews like on amazon or allmusic.com), had at least a good 1-2 hits on each album, very well written ballads (breaking my heart, if you love me, forever in your eyes, what kind of man etc), they wrote and produced just about ALL their songs on their albums in the 1990s (even though they were signed to jimmy jam and terry lewis), easily the best live rnb band, they could play ANYTHING (you name it: rnb, jazz, rock etc.), their interludes were by far better than any other 90s male rnb group. and so on. this is what sets them apart from the rest and makes them my favorite male rnb group/band of the 90s. and they are still here. mint and boyz ii men outlasted them all (mint is 20+ years in the game and about 8 albums deep). but most importantly, mint condition are one of the few groups that kept themselves together, never had crazy drama, break ups (besides keri leaving to marry toni braxton, but he still cool with them), replaced members with new members, or any of that craziness that you usually see. they still looking good and rocking it out. unlike some former artists that are struggling, on crack, look like their aged 90 years, or some other sh1t.
overall these are my 3 favs from the 90s: mint, then ttt then jodeci.
