Eternal

The original group brought together sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett with Kéllé Bryan and Louise Nurding. Always & Forever appeared in 1993, with Stay beginning a sequence that also included Just a Step from Heaven and Oh Baby I. The debut moved between rhythmic R&B singles and ballads without treating the two as incompatible sides of the group.

The vocal arrangements mattered as much as the individual lead. Backing parts could reinforce a phrase, answer it or provide a steady platform for a more expansive performance. The music clearly shared a conversation with American soul and contemporary R&B, yet Eternal occupied a distinctive place within the British chart, where this degree of vocal weight was far from routine in a pop group.

Louise left before Power of a Woman, released in 1995. The title track made the trio's rhythmic confidence clear, while I Am Blessed leaned into the group's gospel colouring. The change in line-up did not require a complete reinvention: the central sound was already flexible enough to support both direct dance tracks and a slower, more devotional atmosphere.

Before the Rain followed in 1997. I Wanna Be the Only One, featuring BeBe Winans, gave the group a British number one and made especially good use of contrasting lead voices. Its appeal lies in the exchange as well as the chorus: a duet can turn a familiar romantic declaration into a scene, and Eternal's harmonies provide an active part of that conversation.