Lucy Pearl
While its songs aren't always as memorable as those ofTony Toni Toné--the million-selling but still underappreciated band that spawned singer  Raphael Saadiq--the debut of R&B; trio Lucy Pearl does flash some of the same  smart, unpredictable spirit. Along with ex-En Voguer Dawn Robinson and formerTribe Called Questbeatmaster Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Saddiq brings his  trademark eye for detail to the funky party anthem "Dance Tonight," the  school-days nostalgia of "Remember the Times," and the self-explanatory rager  "Can't Stand Your Mother." GuestsQ-TipandSnoop Doggare slyly affectionate  on the love-jones celebration "You." Finally, it's certain that Lucy Pearl  will be remembered as 2000's only neo-soul album to include both a  hard-rock workout ("Hollywood") and a college marching band.--Rickey Wright