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R&B Today

© Paula Chase-Hyman

Feelin' It:

*Okay they aren't R&B, but I had to shout out OutKast. These brothers may be strange looking. Yes, one of them wore a multi-colored fur "shawl" with nothing more under it than his BVD's on the Chris Rock Show - but these boys put it down, for real. Their jam "Ms. Jackson," a commentary on the after effects on parenthood when a relationship goes sour is the hottest track out there right now. You can't, not nod your head to this.

Apparently the song's inspiration was the relationship or lack thereof between Outkast member Dre and R&B artist Erykah Badu - the two have a daugther together, Seven. The song sends a clear message that there are some men out there willing to take care of their children, despite the fact that they are no longer with the child's mother - but that often the mother's mother gets involved, making it difficult.

*Dave Hollister's "One Woman Man." Hollister, formerly of BlackStreet, has a good one here. I haven't been too crazy about any of his previous releases, among them "Baby Mama Drama." But I really am diggin' this one.

*Musiq's new single, "Love." Very nice! You've got to check this brother out, his style is clear cut Soul.

R&B Rasberry

The break-up of Lucy Pearl. What is the deal with that?! I'm really disappointed in this unfortunate turn. The group didn't even make it to their debut anniversary. Dawn Robinson will be replaced with Joi. Even if that is a good fit, it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm beginning to wonder if anyone is in this thing for the love of music. I guess they don't realize that fans actually bond musically with the chemistry of the group and that can't happen when new members come in faster than cars at the Daytona 500.

However, just to put it out there, Dawn was on a local DC radio station recently and stated that she was ousted with no notice. Each member had a one-year contract, so there was never any long-term deal - but it sounds like they gave her the heave-ho without so much as a phone call. Too bad - they started off hot but are already heading down the Destiny's Child road!

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