I WAS TALKING WITH MY FIANCE(LOVE YOU DURRELL...MUAH, LOL)ABOUT SOME OF THE BEST IN MUSIC WHO NEVER GOT THE ATTENTION THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE. HE ISN'T THE BIGGEST FAN OF R&B, BUT HE KNOWS MANY THAT SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN MORE THAN THEY DID IN THEIR CAREER. HERE'S OUR LIST.
1. DONELL JONES - NOBODY HAS THE TALENT OF MR. JONES TO US IN R&B. WE HAVE ALL OF HIS ALBUMS, EXCEPT HIS FIRST(I THINK IT WAS SELF-TITLED). I DON'T KNOW IF HE EVER WENT PLATINUM ON ANY OF HIS ALBUMS, BUT I FAITHFULLY BOUGHT HIS CD'S AND LOVED TO LISTEN TO THEM. HELL, WE STILL DO!
2. TAMIA - SHE HAS SOME OF THE BEST PIPES, NEXT TO MARIAH AND WHITNEY P.C. ("PRE-CRACK"). TAMIA HAS HAD 4 ALBUMS, I THINK. I OWN THREE OF THEM AND LOVE THEM ALL. SHE IS STILL TOURING, I THINK. MAYBE WE'LL HAVE HER SING AT OUR WEDDING. MY FIANCE USED TO HAVE THE HOTS FOR HER, WHEN SHE FIRST DROPPED THAT VIDEO, "YOU PUT A MOVE ON ME". REMEMBER THAT?
3. ANTHONY HAMILTON - WE LOVE ANTHONY. HE HAS AN OLD-SCHOOL SOUND THAT CAN NOT BE COPIED. VERY UNIQUE. HIS STYLE IS FLY TOO. NOTHING LIKE A COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, WITH A BEAUTIFUL VOICE. I BET THERE ARE A LOT OF MEN THAT CAN SING THAT PROBABLY DON'T KNOW IT.
4. AVANT - WE KNOW AVANT WELL, AND SUPPORT HIM 100%. HIS MUSIC IS INCREDIBLE. VERY UNDERRATED, BUT STILL OUT HERE DOING HIS THING. IF R&B WAS LIKE IT WAS MAYBE 10 YEARS AGO, AVANT WOULD BE MULTI-PLATINUM RIGHT NOW.
5. AMERIE - I FIRST HEARD AMERIE IN COLLEGE(2001). IT WAS HER FIRST SONG, "WHY DONT WE FALL IN LOVE". I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE TRACK AND BOUGHT HER ALBUM. MEETING MY FIANCE IN 2002, I PUT HIM ON TO HER. SHE HASN'T HAD AN ALBUM BETTER THAN HER FIRST, BUT SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED SINGERS. AT ONE TIME, SHE WAS COMPARED TO MARY J. NO LONGER SIGNED, I HOPE SHE CAN GET A DEAL SOMEWHERE AND COME BACK OUT! WE LOVE HER TOO.
6. ERYKAH BADU - CLASSIC. SHE HAS IT ALL. WE LOVE HER! SHE HAD HER RUN TOO. NEVER GOT THE ATTENTION SHE DESERVED. PROBABLY BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T TAKE HER CLOTHES OFF.
7. MUSIQ SOULCHILD - MUSIQ IS ONE OF THE BEST TO EVER MAKE MUSIC. HE TAKES PRIDE IN EVERY SONG THAT HE CREATES. ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T CARE FOR THE ONE SONG HE JUST RELEASED A FEW MONTHS BACK(I THINK ITS CALLED RADIO), HIS SOUL SOUND IS VERY UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL. REMEMBER THE TRACK "LOVE"? THAT WAS MY JAM.
8. ERIC BENET - I SERIOUSLY LIKE THIS DUDE! THIS LAST ALBUM HE JUST RELEASED MAY BE ONE OF THE BEST I'VE EVER HEARD. TRUE R&B IS WHEN THE ARTIST ISN'T AFRAID TO REALLY SING ABOUT WHAT THEY FEEL. ERIC IS ONE OF THE BEST TO DO IT IN R&B. HE HAS STEPPED HIS GAME UP.
9. KELLY PRICE - WHAT HAPPENED TO KELLY? I THINK SHE SINGS GOSPEL NOW. IN THE LATE 90'S, KELLY WAS KILLING THE GAME. WITH MAJOR PRODUCTION FROM PEOPLE LIKE R. KELLY AND OTHERS, SHE DOMINATED FOR A LITTLE WHILE IN R&B. MAN, MUSIC HAS REALLY CHANGED SINCE THEN.
10. RAHEEM DEVAUGHN - THIS IS THE FUTURE DONELL JONES. THE TWO ALBUMS THAT HE'S RELEASED ARE BOTH ONES THAT CAN BASICALLY PLAY STRAIGHT THROUGH. HE'S AMAZING. HE'S ON MY IPOD IN HEAVY ROTATION. EVEN DURRELL LISTENS TO HIM. MATTER OF FACT, IT WAS DURRELL THAT BROUGHT HIM TO MY ATTENTION. DUDE CAN SING, FOR REAL.
HONORABLE MENTION: FAITH EVANS, JILL SCOTT, JAHEIM, HEATHER HEADLEY, JOE.
IS THIS LIST SIMILAR TO YOURS? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET US KNOW...IN THE MEANTIME, CHECK OUT THIS VID FROM RAHEEM DEVAUGHN, 'CUSTOMER'. CHECK THE GIRL IN THE VIDEO. I AM DETERMINED TO BE IN THOSE BY SUMMER!!! LADIES, WE GOTTA ALL LOOK LIKE THIS! DID YOU KNOW THAT'S THE DREAM SINGING BACKGROUND? HE CO-WROTE THIS TRACK.