Just A Step From HeavenEternal
UK # 8 , April 1994
Before the juggernaut that was the Spice Girls exploded onto the charts in the summer of 1996 , Eternal were the UK's ultimate girl band. Led by the Bennett sisters , Easther and Vernie , Kellie Bryan and sole white member , 90's lad mag icon Louise Nurding.
Like a UK version of En Vogue meets TLC , Eternal were credible ,
hip , could sing and had the sassy , RnB -pop hits to sustain a chart run that would eventually stretch over 6 years. A lifetime in girlband years.
hip , could sing and had the sassy , RnB -pop hits to sustain a chart run that would eventually stretch over 6 years. A lifetime in girlband years. Eternal stepped onto the scene in 1993 with Stay debuted inside the Top 10. Debut album Always And Forever woukl earn them 2 BRIT nominations and a support slot with Take That. Other hits during that era included Crazy and the sumptuous ballad Oh Baby I.
But it was Just A Step From Heaven that was the most striking and memorable moment from that album. An epic looking Americanised video , with a song that could 've been sung by any of the US divas of the mid 90's. It was a brilliant pop moment , that only the Sugababes have since mirrored or eclipsed. Easther Bennett was one of the great female voices in UK pop at that time and the track itself was a huge radio hit and the band a ubiquitous fixture in Smash Hits and on Saturday morning telly.
Just A Step From Heaven peaked at Number 8 whilst Always And Forever topped close to a million sales. It would be another 3 years before they would claim their only UK Number 1 in May 1997 with I Wanna Be The Only One.
But by that time Eternal were well and truly overshadowed by the Spice Girls , with All Saints waiting in the wings. Louise Nurding who left in 1995 was now enjoying considerable success as a solo artist.
Eternal eventually fizzled out at the start of the new milliennium with the Bennett sisters sliding into obscurity , only Louise Nurding mamaging to maintain any media profile , albeit a low key one.
But Just A Step From Heaven remains one of their and UK 90's pop's most defining moments. Rumours abound that JLS will ressurrect this long lost gem on their forthcoming 2nd album. But how theytop the original is anyone's guess. As long as they dont murder it and put the spotlight back on the original and this seemingly forgotten pop force , we'll be just a step from pop heaven.
Eternal led the pack as the first of the UK girl groups of the 1990's to enjoy massive success. Their debut album, "Always & Forever" is chock full of R&B gems-- authentic singing with exceptional vocal arrangements. All Saints, admittedly was modeled after Eternal, and when the The Spice Girls were formed, the Eternal song "Stay" was played for the dance portion of the audition. No one can argue with the pop success of The Spice Girls, but homage is owed to Eternal for creating the lift on which the girl groups of the '90's soared.
ReplyDelete