Jive
2001
Nivea
About This Album
Back in the '80s -- when rap was the new kid on the block -- there were plenty of urban contemporary stations and R&B singers who wanted nothing to do with hip-hop. But times have changed, and these days rap and urban contemporary are joined at the hip. Just as an electric blues/classic soul mixture works well at a blues festival, an urban station might play Destiny's Child one minute and Jay-Z the next. Nivea's self-titled debut album is a perfect example of how hip-hop-drenched R&B has become; from the production to the lyrics, this CD frequently underscores hip-hop's influence on modern R&B. Nivea doesn't get heavily into the neo-soul trend à la Mary J. Blige, Jaguar Wright, Alicia Keyes, or Jill Scott, although one does hear some '70s sweet soul influence on the slow jam "Laundromat" (which R. Kelly wrote and produced). Nivea is much more girlish than the neo-soul divas, which isn't to say that her material lacks bite. In fact, Nivea provides a likable blend of girlishness and grit on catchy, hip-hop-minded offerings like "Ya Ya Ya" (another Kelly contribution) and the single "Don't Mess With My Man" (which was produced by Bryan-Michael Cox).
Track List (try tracks 2,3,5,11,12 and 13)

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