The ’90s are back with a vengeance – or at least, the lead singers are back with a purpose.

This Sunday, “Athens 441″ radio show will showcase performances by Mike Doughty, formerly of Soul Coughing, and Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors.

The Spin Doctors enjoyed two mainstream hits, “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” in the early ’90s, whereas Soul Coughing ruled the ’90s alternative scene with songs such as “Circles” and “Super Bon Bon.”

However, the millennium has found both men pursuing solo projects.

Doughty broke from Soul Coughing in 2000 and inaugurated his solo career with a one-man road trip.

“I started from square one – just me, a rental car, and a guitar,” Doughty said. “It was liberating – I felt free, pretty spectacular.”

While Barron still tours intermittently with the Spin Doctors, he said he wouldn’t wish his early fame back.

“At the height the Spin Doctors’ heyday, we were not very happy,” Barron said. “We were a seething cauldron of mutiny and resentment at the time.”

And if inner-band politics weren’t enough, Barron woke up one morning in 1999 and found he could barely speak. He was later to be diagnosed with a paralyzed vocal chord with a slim chance of recovery.

“It forced me to look at myself as not a singer,” Barron said. “It humbled me a lot. People talk about singing being a gift; I never looked at it literally. It’s something that is bestowed on you. Every note is a gift.”

After months of extensive vocal training, Barron was able to fully recover with a better vocal sound and a greater appreciation.

“I basically became a better singer,” he said.

Barron will be promoting his upcoming album “Pancho and the Kid,” which he describes as “Americana, rootsy rock ‘n’ roll with some country influences.”

Like Barron, Mike Doughty also has a solo album in the works. “Golden Delicious” is set for a Feb. 19 release.

According to Doughty, the album’s sound was inspired by “food, books, hot coffee, and sweet lovin’.”

“The songs change as I keep playing them,” he said. “So I generally end up uncomfortable listening to my own albums.”

Doughty’s music eventually reached and impressed the ears of jam rocker Dave Matthews, who helped Doughty sign on with Matthews’ own label, ATO Records, in 2004.

“(He’s) a very excellent dude,” Doughty said, “much nicer than he has to be.”

With catchy guitar melodies and rapid vocals reminiscent of his boss Matthews, Doughty revives the classic jam band sound, which shines through in songs like “Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well” from his 2005 album “Haughty Melodic.”

More than a decade removed from the music that pushed them into the spotlight, both Doughty and Barron say they prefer the more mature sound they cultivate these days. Neither of the men is looking back.

“I’d rather take now than before,” Barron said. “I think now my head is screwed on a lot straighter.”