Nina Sky
While we haven’t heard much from these twins since
“Move Your Body” was one of 2004’s hottest summer jams, this pair knows how to
keep heads bouncin’ and booties shakin’. Nina Sky is best at straight-up club
tracks, and if the duo’s debut album was any indication, they love making them.
Bring an extra pair of All Stars. You’ll be dancing so much your soles won’t be
able to take it anymore.
— Evan Parker Pierce
Jagged Edge
Jagged Edge is the sound of “Let’s Get Married.”
Jagged Edge is the sound of “Where the Party At?” Jagged Edge is the sound of
harmonious emotions that’ll make you both propose to your girl, then watch her
shake that ass… in that order.
Jagged Edge, the quartet originally signed to
Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings, has put out four solid LPs since its
debut in 1998. The group’s latest work, Hard,
was not really that, as the love songs trump the booty shake by a landslide.
It’s Jagged’s most complete work to date, and I think the Atlanta-based group
is well on its way to leaving a permanent mark on the Urban Adult Contemporary
music scene.
— jaythreeoh
112
The way the music industry is these days, coming
from The A-Town (better known as Atlanta, Georgia) is almost a guarantee for an
group’s career to blow. Well, the quartet known as 112 can attest to that.
Starting on Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’s Bad Boy Records
with the most-larger-than-life MC, the Notorious B.I.G., on your debut single
will put you in the spotlight. But 112’s harmonies and style of song-making
kept the group on point for three platinum-plus-selling albums. The latest LP, One Twelve: Pleasure & Pain, is on
track to keep up with the rest of the bunch. Their knack for putting out hit
singles every time out has continued with the No. 1 single, “U Already Know.”
— jaythreeoh
Ciara
Dubbed the First Lady of “Crunk & B” by the
Architect of Crunk, Lil John, Ciara represents the sexier side of a rough but
almost minimalist sound that has taken over airwaves across the country. Crunk
& B is the new New Jack City,
teaching all the kids to dance funky. Ciara fronts a strong, sexual woman, but
we have yet to see her carry a song by herself — every hit features another
big name with her, from Petey Pablo on “Goodies” to Ludacris on “Oh” to her
several Missy Elliott projects. Look for Ciara to take over her own songs when
she flies solo, or we could be watching yet another summertime hip-hop diva
fade into the sunset.
— Evan Parker Pierce
Boyz II Men
Despite label hopping and group-member dropping, the
music of Boyz II Men is still gonna ring bells at wedding receptions and on
romantic nights. They are still touring, scoring, and showing these new jacks
how it’s done.
Even though they haven’t had an album out in more
than three years or a big hit since the late ’90s, their signature harmony is
unprecedented. And, their live shows are what has and will keep this group’s
name around for many years.
The departure of Michael “Bass” McCary from the
group, making them a trio, has not taken away from their fanbase. The
multimillion-selling group will continue to stay in the record books with No. 1
singles, plenty of awards and accolades, and hardcore fan base in tow.
— jaythreeoh
Fatty Koo
Fatty Koo calls itself a collective from Columbus,
Ohio. The band came together in that city’s arts festival. Its press kit
emphasizes its varied cultural and musical backgrounds, but somehow those
cultural differences are lost in a music-by-committee approach that has
produced one generic single called “Bounce (Theme Song),” picked up as
commercial music for the NBA. The group also did a song for the Yu-Gi-Oh soundtrack, which must be where
it got its name.
—
Evan Parker Pierce
Raheem DeVaughn
Thank the music gods for sending Raheem DeVaughn.
This most refreshing take on soul music from Beltsville, Maryland, brings you
back to the days of old when singers would not just sing — they would sang! DeVaughn’s tunes take you back to
when you would feel the passion in a musician’s voice through lyrics that
impacted and compelled you with substance.
His on-point falsetto combine with both sensual and
socially conscious lyrics over a guitar-driven soundtrack, making for a
well-rounded debut LP, The Love
Experience. Officially released late last month, Raheem DeVaughn has just
begun to lay the foundation for real music to be heard in these modern times.
— jaythreeoh
Faith Evans
As the First Lady of one of the hip-hop world’s
first multimedia mega-franchises, Bad Boy Entertainment, Faith Evans has had
her share of fame and fortune. But as her deceased husband, the Notorious
B.I.G., once said, “More money, more problems.”
Such was the case for Evans; early in her career her
name was caught up in a whirlwind of sensational headlines. She has, however,
tried her best to leave much of that in her past.
Faith’s fourth LP, The First Lady, was released earlier this year on Capital Records.
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs allowed her out of her contract with Bad Boy, and her
becoming the sole r&b artist on an unrelated label was probably the best
way for her to get the shine on her talent. Evans says of The First Lady: “You might not hear her speaking, but she always
seems to handle everything with a certain dignity.”
— jaythreeoh
This article appears in Jul 13-19, 2005.
