Portrait is an American R&B and hip hop vocal quartet, consisting of members Michael Angelo Saulsberry, Irving Washington III, Eric Kirkland and Philip Johnson. The quartet group's music sound was influenced by the new jack swing style of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Career The group, which hailed from Los Angeles, California debuted in 1992 with a self-titled album riding on the end of the new jack swing era. Their debut single "Here We Go Again!", which sampled Michael Jackson's Off the Wall track "I Can't Help It", reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the R&B chart in early 1993, and the second single "Honey Dip" also reached the R&B top 20.
The group was featured in an episode of Family Matters, titled "Stormy Weather", performing "Here We Go Again!". In that episode, they were performing at a high school prom, where Waldo mentions that he got them to do it because one of the members happens to be his cousin—Waldo adds that his cousin says he'll do whatever Waldo asks him to do as long as he doesn't tell people that they're related. Although Steve Urkel ends up correctly guessing which of the members is Waldo's cousin.
Throughout 1993 and 1994, Portrait could be heard lending their voices to various projects, appearing on the soundtracks to the movies, Addams Family Values and Blankman, as well as singing on the Black Men United song, "U Will Know" for the Jason's Lyric Soundtrack. Portrait also provided backing vocals on the Quincy Jones single "Slow Jams", which featured Babyface and Tamia on lead vocals, in 1995. The song reached #68 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Also in 1995, the group released their second album, All That Matters. The album had a few minor hits, with "I Can Call You" reaching #22 on the R&B charts and "How Deep Is Your Love", a cover of the Bee Gees song, briefly appearing on the Hot 100.
In 2018, the group returned as a trio consisting of Michael Angelo Saulsberry, Phillip Johnson, and new member Ruben "R.C." Monge (former lead singer of R&B band Po' Broke 'N Lonely?) with a new single entitled "In The Moment" off of their forthcoming project entitled "Beach Music" which landed them opportunities to tour in Germany and the United Kingdom respectively.
Discography Albums Year Album Peak chart positions US USR&B AUS NZ 1992 Portrait 70 16 100 — 1995 All That Matters 131 26 46 9 1996 Picturesque — — — — 2005 Share My Love — — — — 2020 Afro Trees — — — —
Compilation albums Year Album 2000 Greatest Hits
Singles Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications Album US USR&B AUSAustralian (ARIA Chart) peaks: Top 50 peaks: Top 100 peak: FRA GER NZ 1992 "Here We Go Again!" 11 3 41 — — 48 Portrait 1993 "Honey Dip" 102 18 — — — — "Day by Day" — 42 — — — — 1994 "Be Thankful for What You've Got" — 59 — — — — Addams Family Values: Music fromthe Motion Picture 1995 "I Can Call You" 119 22 — — — 16 All That Matters "How Deep Is Your Love" 93 51 15 24 79 1 RMNZ: Gold
Featured singles Year Single Peak chart positions Album US USR&B FRA 1996 "Slow Jams" (Quincy Jones featuring Babyface and Tamiawith Portrait and Barry White) 68 19 — Q's Jook Joint "Je te donne mon cœur" (Tribal Jam featuring Portrait) — — 30 Démarre le show
References
External links Portrait Bio Billboard