Pretty Ricky BLUE STARS

Personnel: Pretty Ricky; C Milli (vocals); Ludas Charles (guitar); Coop (keyboards); David Chiverton (drums); Blaque Soul Choir, M.H. Cooper, Troy Taylor (background vocals); Static Major (vocals, background vocals); Pleasure (keyboards, background vocals); Diamond, Slick , Spectacular.
Audio Mixers: Kevin KD Davis; Alvin Speights; Ray Seay; Rich Keller.
Recording information: Blue Star Studio, Miami, FL; Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; Platinum Studios, New York, NY.
Photographer: Jonathan Mannion.
Arrangers: Static Major; Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith; Damon Eden.
"Get You Right," a smooth throwback ballad from Miami outfit Pretty Ricky's debut, BLUESTARS, features a hardcore rap that name-checks 1990s groups H-Town and Jodeci. While the four youthful brothers of Pretty Ricky were likely in grade school when these artists had their hits, it's a fitting reference; the quartet's sound reveals an innate feel for the New Jack Swing sound of that time. This approach is evident in both the record's production and its raw sensuality, and the overall vibe is updated with a Dirty South sensibility.
Pretty Ricky features three rappers--Slick, Spectacular, and Diamond--augmented by the resonant voice of Pleasure, whose alluring style falls somewhere between Stevie Wonder and R. Kelly. The subject matter of BLUESTARS tends toward that of the latter (but often hints at the depth of the former), moving from seductions sweet and innocent ("I Want You [Girlfriend]") to raw and lascivious ("Grind with Me") to a combination of the two ("Playhouse," "Can't Live Without You"). Pretty Ricky effortlessly creates soulful music that defies any one time or genre on this impressive debut.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop