Nine Underrated 90s Artists

We all know ‘em.  Nirvana.  Mariah Carey.  Boyz II Men.  Céline Dion.  These are among the elite megahit makers and top-selling musicians, singers, and performers of the 1990s.

But what of those artists who shone in their shadow during the decade?  Here are nine worth revisiting.

Son Volt

From the ashes of modern alternative country rock pioneers Uncle Tupelo arose Son Volt.  Co-founding member Jay Farrar’s new band burst onto the music scene with its arresting debut album, Trace, in 1995.  Two more stunners, Straightaways and Wide Swing Tremolo, would follow before the end of the decade.

Acoustic treasures, including “Tear Stained Eye” and “Hanging Blue Side”, pack punches every bit as powerful as driving rockers like “Drown” and “Picking Up the Signal.”

 

Matthew Sweet

Matthew Sweet surged to success in the early ‘90s with his back-to-back albums of power pop perfection, Girlfriend and Altered Beast.  Infectious rockers like “Evangeline,” “Divine Intervention,” and “The Ugly Truth” featured Sweet’s gifted guitar licks together with tight, Beatles-esque band harmonies to boot.

 

Sweet suffered a devastating stroke in the fall of 2024.  He may never play the guitar again.  If this be the case, listening to his music now may, for many, taste of both satisfying and bittersweet.

Des’ree

Stunning and statuesque, sultry British contralto singer Des’ree lit up the charts with her 1994 smash hit single “You Gotta Be.”  Other notable ‘90s nuggets included “Feel So High” and “What’s Your Sign?”

A thoughtful songwriter who worked from deep within her soul, Des-ree performed at the historic occasion of the Vatican City’s first-ever secular music concert.  The Pope himself was in attendance.  Hey, it’s never a bad thing to count His Holiness among one’s fan base.

Old 97’s

Old 97’s were at the forefront of the “No Depression” era alt-country rock emergence in the mid-1990s.  The Texas-bred band’s “loud folk” made its mark in the studio, on stage, and as contributions to a whole slew of movie and television soundtracks of the time.

“Murder (Or a Heart Attack)” is considered their most widely known number.  But it is merely one extraction from a catalog of superbly crafted and catchy creations.

Buffalo Tom

It is a rare rock song indeed that is as enigmatic and unsettling as Buffalo Tom’s 1994 release “Sodajerk.” Many of the group’s offerings are jarring by intent.

Toss in their appearance on the ‘90s Claire Danes coming-of-age TV teen drama My So-Called Life, and you have reason a-plenty to take a look back at a band who practically dare us to listen.

Naughty by Nature

Let us not dismiss hip hop trio Naughty by Nature as the act that gave us the nasty novelty nugget “O.P.P.”, which climbed to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  Two of the New Jersey threesomes’ first three albums released in the 1990s went platinum, the other gold.  There are precious few “other people’s” albums that can lay claim to such soaring success.

Cake

Fun to eat, sure.  But perhaps even more so to listen to.  Cake baked up a confection of catchy ‘90s ditties throughout the decade.  Partake again of “Let Me Go”, “The Distance”, and “Rock ‘n Roll Lifestyle”, and just you try not to reflex with the herky-jerky gyrations they generate.

Fountains of Wayne

Some groups are born to make pop rock.  Were there a parade of such, New York City’s own Fountains of Wayne would be a contending candidate for drum major.  Formed in 1995, the band toured extensively from the get-go, promoting their first two LPs, honing and refining their considerable craft the world over through the last half of the ‘90s.

Their grueling globe-trotting would eventfully pay off, leading to breakout songs in the 2000s, like “Stacy’s Mom,” “Bright Future in Sales,” and “All Kinds of Time” (used in an NFL TV promo featuring family football royalty the Mannings).

The Lemonheads

Evan Dando was an eccentric slave to drugs during much of his days fronting power popsters The Lemonheads.  However, this roguish rep certainly didn’t tarnish his magic touch as a compelling singer and composer of song.  Cases in point: “It’s a Shame About Ray,” “The Great Big No,” “Into Your Arms,” and “Half the Time.”

Nary a sour note in the lot.

-John Smistad

Photo: Cover image of Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend