Songs in A Minor Alicia Keys J Records, 2001 So Blu Blu Cantrell Arista, 2001 Toya Toya Arista, 2001 Olivia Olivia J Records, 2001   Reviewed by Lincoln Cho	It's entirely possible that 2001 will be remembered as the year of the R&B diva. The 12-month period when, though one of the most promising was tragically lost, four more instantly sprang up clamoring for her place. Twenty-two-year-old Aaliyah died in a small plane crash in the summer of 2001, about a month after her most recent -- and some have argued best -- album, the self-titled Aaliyah, was released. Aaliyah's first album was in 1994, the appropriately named Age Ain't Nothin' But A Number. Aaliyah was 15 at the time and was then on the threshold of marrying her producer, R. Kelly. Aaliyah Aaliyah Virgin, 2001 Whether or not Aaliyah cut the pattern -- fashion model gorgeous combined with world-class pipes -- even prior to her death, there were contenders for her pop spot. By the time of the release of her first album in June of 2001, Clive Davis' J Records new secret weapon, Alicia Keys, was the worst kept secret in town. In many ways, Keys has been the year's "it" girl, shooting out of the gate with a mature, well-realized first album largely written and arranged -- not to mention co-produced -- by Keys herself. Songs in A Minor is scary, crazy good and, as the charts have told since the album's debut (Songs in A Minor moved 50,000 units the day it became available), the 22-year-old newcomer is a force to be reckoned with. Highlights of an impeccable album: "How Come You Don't Call Me" is sophisticated, sexy and sublime and the bonus track, "Lovin U" is a delightful tribute to Motown that makes you glad for electronic listening devices (CD players, computers) that let you queue up a song again, again and... play it loud. It interests me that Keys' most serious contender of the year is signed to Arista (Who signed Keys in the first place. She defected with Davis to his new label.) where she is produced by Antonio "L.A." Reid and C. "Tricky" Stewart. While Blu Cantrell appears not to be the songwriter Keys is -- she performs none of her own material on So Blu -- her voice is, if anything, superior to Keys'. On her debut album, Cantrell hits some notes that have been left the hell alone since Mariah Carey's earliest albums. Cantrell skims the vocally challenging "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops)," scats prettily on "Swingin'" and brings that Hammond home on "All You Had To Say." Most years do not see the debut of an Alicia Keys and a Blu Cantrell. But a year that does is going to put near competitors in the shade. That's a little bit of what's happened to Toya and her self-titled debut CD. Like Keys and Cantrell, Toya is alarmingly young to be evidencing the kind of performance polish she exhibits. And she is beautiful: requisite, it seems, for this year's R&B "it" girls. Another discovery of L.A. Reid's, Toya hails from St. Louis and claims about half the songwriting credits on Toya. The album is sexy smart with all of the modern urban hooks in place. Contributions by Murphy Lee of the St. Louis rap ensemble St. Lunatics and Penelope add the St. Louis finish that this album demanded. Toya -- and Toya herself -- has spent too much time in the shadows this year. This one is worth taking note of. If anything, even more overlooked than Toya, sultry rapper Olivia is also worthy of note. When she sings, Olivia's voice is often a gorgeous, rich whisper and when she raps -- which is often -- she is second to no one. Maybe no one has ever gotten this nasty so prettily. The overall note on Olivia -- despite the big ol' explicit lyrics warning label and more cleavage shots on the liner notes than all of our other contenders combined -- is one of sultry elegance that is pleasantly discordant with her often down and dirty lyrics. Special alerts on "Silly Bitch In Love" and the Jimmy Cozier-written "Look Around" on which Cozier performs a duet. Also listen to "Bizounce" if you've missed it. "Bizounce" was a fairly huge hit for Olivia and is a terrific example of that silky singing voice combined with some very competent rap. | November 2001 Lincoln Cho is a contributing editor to Blue Coupe magazine.	2001 will be remembered as the year of the R&B diva. The 12-month period when, though one of the most promising was tragically lost, four more instantly sprang up clamoring for her place.