Eric Benét

Among the smoothest and most dynamic adult contemporary R&B singers of his time, Eric Benét is a ballad specialist mixing classic soul and soft rock influences with gospel, jazz, funk, hip-hop, and Brazilian and Caribbean music. After he first charted in the early '90s beside sister Lisa, Benét enjoyed moderate success with his debut solo album, True to Myself (1996), and truly broke through with the follow-up, A Day in the Life (1999), featuring the Tamia duet "Spend My Life with You" -- a Top 40 pop hit that also became Benét's first Grammy-nominated recording. He put together a string of Top Ten R&B/hip-hop albums with Love & Life (2008), Lost in Time (2010), and The One (2012) each yielding multiple singles that kept him in steady rotation on adult R&B radio. The first album in that sequence was nominated for a Grammy, as were "You're the Only One" and "Sometimes I Cry," two of the hits from that period. Benét's recordings since then include the soft rock covers album From E to U, Vol. 1 (2014), a funkier self-titled LP (2016), and a set of duets entitled The Co-Star (2025). He has co-produced all of his LPs.

A Milwaukee native, Benét -- born Eric Benét Jordan in Mobile, Alabama -- started performing during the late '80s as a member of Gerard, a local pop/rock band. Next, he partnered with sister and fellow Gerard member Lisa Jordan-Weathers as Benét. The duo signed with major-label EMI and collaborated with the likes of cousin George Nash, Jr., Jeff Lorber, and Bryan Loren on their 1992 self-titled album. That October, the new jack swing-flavored single "Only Want to Be with You" spent two weeks on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart, but corporate restructuring at EMI left the siblings without a label home shortly thereafter. Benét did session vocal work for the likes of Lorber, Dave Koz, Michael Franks, and Patti LaBelle. He also took gigs as a courier and assistant recording engineer to support himself and his daughter, whose mother -- Benét's long-term girlfriend -- died in a car accident in 1993. A demo attracted a new solo deal with Warner Bros., and in 1996, the singer stepped forward with True to Myself, a set that was too slick and refined to be accurately considered neo-soul, yet it was deeply rooted in classic R&B influences. All four singles hit the upper half of the R&B/hip-hop chart, with the sparkling slow jam "Feminity," a collaboration with Christian Warren, placing highest at number 24. In addition to Warren, Nash, and Demonté Posey (another close associate), the LP featured input from funk legend Roger Troutman, who produced an update of Sly & the Family Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay."

Benét saw greater success with his follow-up. Issued in 1999, A Day in the Life saw him expand his group of collaborators with the involvement of Brian A. Morgan, Somethin' for the People, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (of A Tribe Called Quest), and Philadelphians Vikter Duplaix and James Poyser. Its biggest singles were duets: a cover of Toto's "Georgy Porgy" (with Faith Evans in the role originally filled by Cheryl Lynn) and "Spend My Life with You" (featuring Tamia). The first of the two became Benét's Hot 100 debut, reaching number 55, and it peaked at number 15 on the R&B/hip-hop chart. The second one, written by Benét, Nash, and Posey, climbed to number 21 on the Hot 100 and topped the R&B/hip-hop chart. A number 25 hit on the Billboard 200, A Day in the Life went gold, and "Spend My Life with You" was up for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Benét rather quickly moved forward with the making of his third album, Better and Better, but Warner Bros. shelved it due to disagreements over Benét's stylistic direction. While Benét scored eighth R&B/hip-hop hit in 2001 with "Love Don't Love Me" (recorded for the soundtrack of The Brothers), he didn't fully return until 2005 with Hurricane, his first of three albums for Reprise. One of his most lavish albums, Hurricane included "The Last Time" and "Still with You," grand ballads made respectively with adult contemporary masters David Foster and Walter Afanasieff. Benét and Halle Berry, married since 2001, divorced that year.

Although Benét wouldn't strike RIAA gold again, the albums he released on a semi-annual basis from 2008 through 2012 constitute one of the hottest periods of his career. All three LPs peaked within the Top Ten of the R&B/hip-hop chart. Love & Life, the first one, narrowly missed the top spot and gave Benét his highest placement on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number 11. Its biggest single was "You're the Only One," a feel-good devotional ballad written with his reliable team of George Nash, Jr. and Demonté Posey, plus Greg Gerard (of hometown band Gerard). Love & Life was Grammy-nominated for Best R&B Album, and "You're the Only One" was up for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Lost in Time leaned into that success with opulent ballads drawing from Philly soul and Earth, Wind & Fire, among other '70s inspirations. Appropriately enough, the O'Jays' Eddie Levert was one of the guest singers, and Benét made it more of a family affair by singing with first daughter India on "Summer Love." More importantly, the falsetto showcase "Sometimes I Cry" was Benét's biggest R&B/hip-hop hit in over a decade and picked up a Grammy nomination for Traditional R&B Performance. The One, Benét's 2012 release, launched the singer's Jordan House label with support from EMI. The lively "Harriet Jones" and rich "Real Love" were its charting singles. The set concluded with the waltzing "Here in My Arms (Lucia's Lullaby)," written with wife Manuela Testolini for their newborn daughter.

Benét released two projects in 2014. From E to U, Vol. 1, distributed only in Asian markets through Warner Music, saw Benét cover soft rock and adult contemporary staples like Toto's "Africa," Christopher Cross' "Ride Like the Wind," and Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire." The other one, literally The Other One, was a complete remix of The One done by electronic music producer Mousse T. under his Afropeans alias. Benét returned two years later with a lively self-titled album created primarily with Demonté Posey. That would be his last full-length for nine years, a period during which he continued to perform and released the occasional single but otherwise focused on raising his family. His ninth album, The Co-Star, arrived in 2025 and played to his strength as a duettist with a different partner on each song. Benét shared the microphone with an all-woman cast that included Tamar Braxton, India.Arie, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Alex Isley. ~ Andy Kellman