Adult contemporary was essentially a new name for soft rock in the 1980s, but unlike soft rock the production borrowed more heavily from modern r&b, jazz and soul and incorporated new technologies like synthesizers and drum machines. Many adult contemporary artists like Phil Collins and Rod Stewart came from rock backgrounds, but they concentrated on romantic ballads and light, upbeat melodies that bore little resemblance to rock. Adult contemporary was one of the most successful radio formats of the 1980s, and artists like Richard Marx, Kenny G and Whitney Houston sold millions of albums.