Singer Lil' Mo is celebrating 20 years since the release of her debut album Based On A True Story this weekend. The album took three years to create with many disputes between the label and the artists. It also didn't help that some early releases were not having their desired impact.
The first single "Ta Da" was one of those early releases where you can see the talent and direction her career would follow but it hadn't quite locked in 100%.
Lil Mo's 2nd single is certainly her most successful to date, "Superwoman Pt. II." The song features the debut of rapper Fabolous who was unknown at the time.
"Gangsta (Love 4 The Streets)" was the third and final single. It features a notable sample of Snoop Dogg's 1994 song "Gin and Juice."
As demonstrated through her videos Lil Mo was bringing more of a gangster style for R&B singers than was common at the time. Certainly she was a predecessor to the style of some artists today. Her songs were praised at the time for being relatable for her audience.
While Based On a True Story is certainly a dated project featuring a variety of production trends from the turn of the century, the talent and vocals displayed by Lil Mo stand out. An album cut we certainly have to recommend that you check out would be her cover of Cyndi Lauper's 1984 classic "Time After Time."
We are pretty certain that for a good amount of you Lil Mo is a slight unknown. While this is not a classic album by any measure it is def worth a listen though if you area real fan of R&B.
Give it a stream below and let us know what you think:
