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OK, it's (ex) Protestant Share Time! I'm "in love" with Melanie Fiona. She's awesome. And this means that my three favorite R&B/Soul discoveries of roughly the last 15 years (joining Deborah Cox and Tamia) are all Canadian. Uh oh! C'mon, USA! [They also are very attractive.--ed.] True. But I think the whole movement like, "You don't have to be attractive to be a talented singer" is as manufactured as its opposite. Adele, looking in your direction. [That was harsh.--ed.] Well, we need something real to latch on to if "pop star" doesn't just mean "pretty face." If you're not exceptionally good, being unpretty shouldn't get you a pass. It's like the reverse, PC version of pop star venality. If you're ugly, we'll suck up to you! Bah!
I admit my guilt in being a fan of Mya as a teenager for shall we say sensual reasons; however, in my defense, the radio-edit version of "My First Night With You" is a charming Babyface/Diane Warren classic, and the slick Darryl Simmons production on this makes you forget Mya's voice is thin. Her slow, vocal version is horrid, but the glory of Deborah Cox's version shows you what a well-written pop song it is.

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