Return of the Mack

BV Caresses his (Carefree) Curls

There's nothing like a man with an s-curl. At least that's how I felt in my nineties adolescence. I loved it when my Word Up pin up boy, Ralph "fuck an S-Curl I got a conk" Tresvant dipped his chemically straightened tresses in a barrel of water during the over choreographed, stirrup and velvet-loafer filled video for "If It Isn't Love." And then, the pre-teen dream wildy tossed his drenched hair back letting the water drip down his crackishly gaunt frame. Now that's a sensitive man. Texturized crooners like Mr. Dalvin and Devante Swing rocked my little girl world. And then came four pretty boys in the Jackson 5-black boy band template who sang the most beautiful songs. Mista was their name and "Blackberry Molasses" and "Lady" was their sonic game. Except it wasn't game, just surprisingly sincere music but times have changed, Mario's "Let Me Love You" is the closest mainstream music that approaches Mista's dissapearing R&B earnestness. So when I heard Bobby Valentino, the s-curled, extra pretty, front boy of Mista had made a come back after finishing studies at Clark Atlanta University (Sadly, I never ran into him while down the strip at Spelman although I did run into Mase but I'll save that story for another occasion) I dismissed him and then I finally heard "Slow Down." While lyrically it doesn't match "Blackberry Molasses" or "Lady" it's a burner (I wanted to say hot but I'm trying to excise the Paris Hiltonism from my vocab).

In Rotation: Jodeci's "U&I", Intro's "Let Me Be the One" & Joe's "I'm In Luv". A gold star to anyone who remembers Joe writhing on a brownstoned city street in a cross colors esqe vest and matching pants (no shirt though) in the video.