In order to provide a greater selection of sounds, while keeping download times short, only one format is being used - MP3. In my opinion, MP3 gives the best trade-off between file size and quality, but you might need might need to download an MP3 player to hear the clips.

For users of Windows or Macintosh, I recommend WinAmp or MacAmp respectively. Users of other platforms might want to try this AltaVista query or visit the MP3.com site.

All these songs are copyright material and are provided here for your personal use only. The original CDs are far superior in quality to these samples, and I urge you to go out and buy them if you like what you hear! See below for advice about buying Eternal CDs.

Always & Forever

Undoubtedly Eternal's biggest album ever, it features their debut smash hit single Stay, which instantly established their trademark blend of R&B and dance music. The girls mellow out for their first ballad, Oh Baby I... before pumping up the energy once more with the classic Just A Step From Heaven.

At one point, Sweet Funky Thing was considered as a possible single release, this "wblf new york radio mix" being one of the possible remixes. Also remade and remixed Eternal style, Amazing Grace appeared on the Crazy EP, possibly the group's most essential single release to date! The EP includes some vocals by Louise, who left the group before the release of their second album.

Power Of A Woman

The all-new Eternal burst back onto the scene with the phenomenal Power Of A Woman - even on this relatively laid-back R&B mix, Easther's lead vocal is, well, powerful! The airwaves were filled throughout the festive season of 1995 with the sound of I Am Blessed, though only album buyers were lucky enough to hear another stunning ballad, It Will Never End.

This chilled-out remix of Good Thing belies the considerably harder R&B edge given to the single release, accommpanied by a suitably US-style inner-city video. The single version can be heard on the Greatest Hits album.

Before The Rain

Eternal's third studio album saw another change of direction, with the girls themselves having more creative input. Don't You Love Me became their highest charting single to date, a record soon beaten as I Wanna Be The Only One, their duet with Bebe Winans, soared to the top of the charts.

Kéllé and Vernie both did some lead vocals for the first time, the latter heard featured here in this rather unusual-sounding remix of Think About Me. This album also included Eternal's enchanting ballad Someday, recorded for the soundtrack of Disney's The Hunchback Of Notre Dame.

Other Eternal hits

The Greatest Hits album includes two new tracks: Angel Of Mine, released as a single another hit with radio, and the breathtaking Might As Well Be Me. Co-written by Easther and her brother, Derek, this powerful, gospel-influenced song was slated (and remixed) for a possible single release, but sadly it never happened.

Other Eternal tracks which I will never forget include their cover of I Feel The Earth Move for a tribute to original songwriter Carole King - check out this gospel ending! Meanwhile, Kéllé proves she can cut it live with this performance of Black Cat, originally by Janet Jackson.

Finally, here's one of my personal favourites: from the Secrets single, a remix of Redemption Song (twice as big as the other samples, but well worth it). Towards the end of this rather strange, sometimes dodgy, remix of Eternal's Bob Marley cover, the listner is treated to some of the most fantastic vocals Easther has ever recorded, along with some cute backing vocals from Vernie and Kéllé!

Where to get 'em

It should be possible to buy most, if not all, of Eternal's albums online. For cheap (compared to UK) prices, you might want to try CDnow. UK residents may not find it much cheaper once VAT and shipping are added, and in any case only Always & Forever was actually released in the USA.

Therefore, ordering from a UK online store might be the best option for some, if not all of the albums. I recommend CDZone for their selection and easy-to-use ordering system - you might even pick up a few singles!

For rare, deleted (eg. singles) or promo CDs, Esprit are defintitely worth checking out. Based in the UK, they don't have online ordering as yet, but are well versed in dealing with international orders. Also worth a try are Adrians, though once again, you'll need to contact them offline for now.

Finally, a word of caution: watch out for "Mind Odyssey" - this is actually a release by another band called Eternal, but it often turns up in search results!