Lucy Pearl

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

Musical groups made up of refugees from other bands are often far less than the sum of their parts. The recently formed neo-soul trio Lucy Pearl is a welcome exception. Composed of guitarist Raphael Saadiq (from Tony Toni Tone), singer Dawn Robinson (En Vogue) and deejay Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), the group works well together. This is soul that strives to be smart but that never forgets to be sweet. The best track is the lovely Everyday; it's a song as tasty and warm as something pulled from a mother's oven on a Sunday afternoon.

--By Christopher John Farley