Lucy Pearl: Still Dance Worthy 20 Years Later

The year was 2000 and everyone was cautiously celebrating the Y2K craze. That year marked the end of a golden era for R&B in the mid to late 90s. So, it shouldn’t have been that surprising that members of each of the biggest R&B/Hip Hop groups of the 90s decided to join forces as they ushered in the new millennium. But it was, mainly because the group seemed to have formed overnight.

Dawn Robinson was the sexy, sassy songstress from En Vogue. Raphael Saadiq was the smooth-toned frontman from Tony Toni Tone. Ali Shaheed Muhammad was a part of rap royalty in A Tribe Called Quest. D’Angelo was instrumental in the group’s inception, but he backed out due to scheduling conflicts. Singer Joi also briefly replaced Dawn Robinson after she left the group. However, the chemistry between Dawn, Raphael, and Ali is the lineup a few twentysomethings can appreciate, let alone even know about.

The group was captivating from the beginning with their Grammy-nominated lead single, “Dance Tonight”. The carefree groove of the song was the perfect end-of-the-week jam. Then, they followed-up their lead-in grown and sexy club hit with the cautionary message to a troublesome ex, “Don’t Mess With My Man”. Dawn Robinson and Raphael Saadiq’s vocal blends were the perfect mixture we didn’t know we needed. Ironically, the blended harmonies on their self-titled debut (and only) album are primarily only heard on the non singles.

Songs like the comically clever, “I Can’t Stand Your Mother,” the razzle dazzle shunning “Hollywood”, and the sultry lullaby, “Good Love” rounded out one of the most slept-on (and best) albums of the early 2000s. If only Lucy Pearl would have kept it together for a sophomore album. Sigh. For now, let’s reminisce on a rare R&B jewel that shines just as brightly as it first did 20 years ago.