Thursday 23 August 2012

R&B Divas Season 1 Episode 1: Baby Shower Drama


This show is different and focused more on real issues that women face. It's not as staged as others and I think that  may be a problem in keeping viewers interested. My review is a bit disjointed but I hope it will get better as I get a feel for the cast members.


The show follows a group of singers invited by Faith Evans to do a charity album. So it's a journey and the conflicts along the way.  I only know Faith Evans and Nicci Gilbert (actually shame on me because though I have two Brownstone albums I didn't know any of the singers names.) I don't know who Monifah, Keke Wyatt, and Syleena Johnson are.


The show was centred around throwing a baby shower for Keke Wyatt who is married to Michael with six kids , and Keke and Michael do EVERYTHING TOGETHER which later becomes a source of conflict in the group. I find Michael sweet but slightly immature in some things. He's training to be a minister so that will be interesting. From this show I do like Keke because though she comes over fussy and bossy she seems nice and pleasant.

The women decide to throw a baby shower for Keke and so the drama starts. Monifah who is openly gay decides to invite her lover but is uncertain of Keke and her husband's reaction since Micheal (Keke's husband) trainee pastor and whole family are like 'super Christians'. What exactly are ‘super Christians’? Shake my head already at this foolery – Monifah ,no cares who you are sleeping with! Monifah seems to be a whiner or complainer. Whatever it is - her sexuality, former coke habit - she just whines like Mimi Faust. Hopefully she'll prove this instant judgement wrong.



Anyway this is stupid and doesn’t make sense because I'm sure Keke would have heard Monifah was gay or at least heard rumours being in the industry so it's not a big deal. The music industry is full of gay people so I think this was one for the cameras.  Also Keke doesn’t look like a person that really cares about things that don’t concern her.


Soon enough we find that though Michael seems uncomfortable about Monifah's sexuality Keke doesn’t care. Keke was like some of my brothers are gay (something Michael would have known) and Michael couldn't really give her an answer. So I think the whole Monifah being gay was a non-event.

Nicci Gilbert former lead singer of Brownstone decides to take charge of the Baby Shower and in doing so shows her bossy side. She basically ordered her assistant the poor Jakeem around like a dog.
She complains that nothing is being done however clashes with Syleena Johnson who doesn’t like to go labour and get her hands dirty. Syleena Johnson  was like 'I'm a hostess,' then when on to complain how bossy Nicci was.

The baby shower was a success not much happened but they did show things to come.

The biggest issue was Michael being joined at the hip with Keke – they are like a tag team. I know us girls tend to find that very very very irritating when a friend’s boyfriend or husband is always there. However there reasons for it. Keke basically has trust issues and likes to keep her eye on Michael.


Keke speaks like her ‘trust’ issues are a badge of honour. Maybe she hooked up with a Stevie J type man.  On the other hand Michael adores Keke but seems to have dependency issues – so their issues balance/cancel out each other. The only problem would be if Keke ever got bored of Michael but they seem happy so far.

Other conflicts include Nicci Gilbert who just wants to sing backup. And as the former lead singer of Brownstone - that is not going to happen.  I think Nicci joined to show to reveal her other passions:  acting, directing and drama. She says though she is a talented singer she doesn't have any passion for it. Anyway the others don't see that way - and tell her use her gift.

One of the girls has financial issues and had to downgrade her lifestyle but I’m not sure which one. And early in the show we hear Monifah was addicted to cocaine but has being clean for some time. So there are a few struggles along the way these girls have overcome.

We all know Faith Evans went through so much publicly – even now people still talk about her late husband. Not only was she married and widowed very young (Christopher Wallace aka Biggie Smalls – Notorious BIG) she had to contend with people like Lil Kim and Baltimore talking about her late husband.

I’m not sure what past dramas Keke Wyatt (probably trust issues), Syleena Johnson or Nicci Gilbert has had but I’m sure it will be revealed along the way.

This first show was a bit slow. I do love singing and these women are amazing singers. Even Syleena Johnson doing the nursery rhyme was a treat and when she started to harmonise with another of the girls it was fantastic.

Faith Evans seems to be the calming mother figure - a bit like Shaunie O Neal but without the hood and rachet mentality.


All pictures are sourced and copywrite of TVone

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