City High

The debut album from City High delivers a solid mix of hip-hop beats and R&B vocal stylings. The fast-rising New Jersey trio comes nice over mellow grooves and easy-to-like beats. Produced by Wyclef among others, it's not exactly groundbreaking, but very listenable and undeniably catchy. Contains the hit "What Would You Do."

Today's bling-tastic R&B usually avoids social commentary. But somehow the Willingboro,
New Jersey, coed trio City High have managed to infiltrate urban radio with the
heart-wrenching "What Would You Do," a woman's pained justification of her red-light life
that manages to uplift without providing a happy ending. Like their breakthrough single,
City High's debut album hinges on thick, stomp-worthy funk, luxurious soul groo... More >

I like the way this Fugees-configured r&b defines its concept and cohort. Not every high schooler who dresses gangsta just needs respect and motivation, but enough of them do to make a nice little audience base. The vocals are smooth, the hooks suave, and with age-appropriate overlays of sentimentality and distortion--degree-bound female imprisoned for succumbing to underage Adonis, FBI forcing another to betray her G for her baby boy--this gives those well-meaning kids a voice. If you believe the hit "What Would You Do?" has too much Ricki Lake in it, as it does, try "Sista" or "Cats and Dogs," which have just enough. (Grade - A-)