The handlers of sexy songstress Keyshia Cole pulled off an impressive coup for the newcomer by getting Philly homegirl EVE to team up with her to produce the infectious, ultra radio friendly Pop Hip Hop sounds of Never.

Leaning heavily on the classic Luther Vandross "Never Too Much" as the foundation of this cut and throwing in the comfortable, and equally familiar flow EVE clocks in with, this heavily promoted single should do plenty to help Keyshia carve out a piece of the already crowded arena of the independent R&B Divas all clawing for our attention. Ms. Cole may be a new name but she's not new to the world of music by a longshot. Where many new artists try too hard and thus derail their real talents, Keyshia possesses the confidennce in herself not to oversing. She allows the groove to come to her rather than trying to outshine it. Included on the Barbershop 2 Soundtrack, Never serves double duty as the first single from her upcoming debut album. Like it or not, the industry is just as much about image and sexual appeal as the singing itself. It should be quickly obvious that Keyshia is easy on the eyes so what we end up with is two seemingly delicious ladies giving a thumbs up new millennium twist to an R&B staple that we already love.

If you're looking for something hardcore or a piece that breaks the mold, you're out of luck. However, if your looking for a "not to be taken too seriously" pop mingling of Hip Hop and R&B then you're in luck. While not in the same zip code of a Mary J. and Method Man collab this is a solid start. On first listen, although liking the song, I just wasn't sure how much. It wasn't long before I couldn't get the song out of my head. For EVE and Keyshia Cole that counts as a touchdown and ya can't ask for much more than that.

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keyshiacole.com

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Review by Funk Wizard Snow
Editor- PhillyHipHop.com
April, 2004