…as in ya’ll slept!

While taking a little time out of my day to catch up on the world of R&B (since Hip-Hop is the first love), BET did nothing but reinforce my reasoning for ignoring their cornmeal of supposed entertainment programming. Forcing me to be an outsider, all I saw was a bunch of mofos leaning on Chris Brown and T-Pain for their worthless 15 seconds of fame.

Shit, Hip-Hop’s gonna be fine…R&B is in trouble.

It’s a genre not known for it’s die-hard fanbase (ever heard a debate on Ciara vs. Cassie?…Didn’t think so). Hot or not, Usher’s “Love In This Club” sounds like a half-baked, toaster strudel that was baked in a Apple Garageband oven.

Oh wait…it was.

And by allowing candy corn like Madonna and Mariah to blur the lines of what is actually R&B has the entire industry going soulless like Shang Tsung was the CEO.

While the countdowns and radio stations continue to swoon over everything that’s diluted, pardon me as I highjack the Stray Shots to shed some light on some worthy albums that should have gotten just a much burn as their overhyped competition.

Truth Hurts – Truthfully Speaking (Aftermath, 2002)

A triumph and tradegy all rolled up in one. After the chronic smoke had faded from 1999′s 2001, Dre adopted a new protégé in mad Black woman form. With Focus, Organized Noize, Mel-Man, Timbaland, Hi-Tek, R. Kelly, DJ Quik annnnd Dre on the boards, her sultry yet sassy vocals help combine for a nearly-flawless debut. But with her biggest hit “Addictive” featuring Rakim and an uncleared sample, Interscope figured she wasn’t worth half a billion dollars.

Glenn Lewis – World Outside My Window (Epic, 2002)

Usually comparisons to legendary artists can make a singer come off as a gimmick, but even Stevie Wonder himself acknowledged the similarities while recognizing the originality in Toronto native, Glenn Lewis. From the easygoing rhythm found in “Don’t You Forget It” to the bluesy “Never Too Late,” GL insured that his product was Grade A quality. But it’s just as hard to get kids to eat their vegetables as it is getting fickle fans to seek out nourishing music.

Trey Songz – Trey Day (Atlantic, 2007)

Maybe the ladies didn’t appreciate their heartthrob, boy hero getting his flow on a couple tracks but Trey took a risks on this sophomore stride and won some honorable artistic points. “Can’t Help But Wait” was a befitting single title because the album was delayed almost as much as Skybus, but the musical rewards payed in the end for those who checked it.

Res – How I Do (MCA, 2001)

Technically not R&B but this is no time for petty details. I remember sampling this album at the Virgin Megastore (R.I.P.) and 10 minutes later, copped it for $7.99. Talk about a deal. With “They Say Vision” in steady rotation on VH1 and “Let Love” appearing in a Wrigley gum commercial, this outstanding, elcetic fusion of Rock N’ Soul ultimately went for the most part unnoticed, possibly due to the lack of a defining audience. Oh well, gotta love the music anyway.

Brandy – Afrodisiac (Atlantic, 2004)

With Baby Girl no longer with us, Timbaland teamed up with Ray J’s sister to help her deliver the album of her career. The recent divorcée tackled her pain on the opener “Who I Am” while still leaving room for pure hits like “Turn It Up,” “Saddidy,” and the Kanye/T.I. collabo “Where You Wanna Be.” But everybody was probably too busy listening to Confessions to notice.

The Dream – Love/Hate (Def Jam, 2007)

When Terius Nash proclaimed that his album sounded like a mix between Prince and Michael (Jackson), obviously the doors for insert-punchline-here were kicked down with the quickness. But underneath The-Dream’s stout confidence, stark truth was revealed. Basically if Prince released this album, he would have held 8 Grammys in February and Michael’s songs about wooing women have never been that convincing, so we need not even go there. But the real jewel aside from Dream’s masculine “Falsetto’s” was co-producer/writer Tricky Stewart’s illustrious production with every track bleeding into the next without missing a beat. He gave you prophecy on his first joint and ya’ll all lamed out…

Estelle – Shine (Atlantic, 2008)

Yeah it’s new and 14,000 in the States isn’t that bad with the limited promotion. But you still get the feeling people are missing out. Since her style may not be everybody’s cup o’ tea, her best bet is to release “Magnificent” with Kardinal Offishall and hope for some summer love.

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