Cherish

In 2003, this group of four Atlanta-based sisters released a Jermaine Dupri-produced single on Warner Bros. ("Miss P.") and appeared on Da Brat's "In Love wit Chu." An album for their label was due to follow, but it never surfaced, and mega-producer Jazze Pha eventually swept them up for his Capitol-supported Sho'nuff label. Though they're still in their late teens and early twenties, they write a lot of their lyrics, and they sound as sure of themselves on Unappreciated as any R&B group with a handful of albums behind them. However, it's clear that they're very much under the influence of their inspirations and contemporaries (from Destiny's Child to Ciara) and aren't yet able to distinguish themselves from what they've absorbed as music fans. Unappreciated is a boilerplate R&B album that's pleasant and likeable, yet it doesn't leave much of an impression and lacks character. Lead single "Do It to It," produced by Don Vito and Cheese, is emblematic in that it's the best track on the album and bears a tremendous resemblance to Ciara's Jazze Pha-produced hits (all the way down to its cadence). ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide