Showing some love to Keri Hilson, because somebody has to....

Keri Hilson, I feel for you.



I really do. The new female T-Pain (except she can actually carry a note without mechanical assistance), she's been thrown on an endless flow of rap-song hooks in attempts to make her that "new shit." Position the naturally-fine Atlanta product as a Ne-Yo of sorts---a talented, experienced songwriter who's ready for her own star to cast. Nas' "Hero"; Kardinal Offishal's "Numba 1" (she replaced Rihanna on this one, even, for what I imagine was practicality....Rihanna's too busy taking over the world these days to show up for a Kardinal video shoot). There's even Chris Brown's "Superhuman," and video-chick work in the "Miss Independent" and "Love In This Club" videos.

She's everywhere, and anywhere. Three singles deep into her own album, she should be celebrating. Toasting. Patting the backs of Polow and Timbaland. But there's just one problem: nobody seems to give even one shit about any of her own singles. You recall "Energy," my favorite single of her's thus far? How about this Timbaland-produced one "Return the Favor," a clear yet inferior shot of duplicating the "Way I Are" heat? Perhaps you've heard "Turnin' Me On," but I'm willing to wager that this one registers with you merely for Lil Wayne's presence. Dude has it like that, like it or not.

Look....I really like Ms. Hilson. Think she's genuinely talented, seems rather pleasant and charming. And I'm on the cusp of saying that she's usurped Amerie atop my R&B Chick Throne. Meaning, a singer I'd love to wife up, not strictly hit and run. Yeah, the short hair bob cut she's sported as of late can go, allowing her slightly longer, flailing mop seen in that heartstopping (halted mine, at least) "Energy" vid. And, really, I've been rooting for her since that old Xzibit "Mean Muggin'" track/clip. That's when she first caught my eye, holding both the pupil and my loins firmly in grip ever since.


Resisting any and all "knockout" puns here, I swear. You should be proud.

Part of me wonders, "How can somebody with actual talent struggle so much to find an audience? See an album release date?" Then, I realize that she's under the Jimmy Iovine umbrella, and all is clear. I can't knock the dude Iovine, either; he knows how to make money, and can see that the Hilson demand is ringing softer than VH1 Soul. In A Perfect World..., Hilson's probably-never-dropping album, is resting somewhere in Interscope oblivion alongside Nicole Scherzinger's solo and Eve's latest. Maybe Iovine has a thing for Sexy Women in Release-Locked Cages. Who knew he was a grindhouse head?


A Scherzinger/Barone/Hilson sandwich, anyone? I'll take two to go.

And admittedly, this being the biggest of issues, not one of these Hilson radio-shots has been all that astonishing. All are forgettable, especially "Return the Favor," one of Timbaland's most vapid beats in recent memory. Why can't she pen something that'll send the masses into a frenzy? I refuse to believe that Beyonce is the only under-30 diva worth caring about, seriously. Keyshia Cole is up there, true, but she's a different beast, a less-glam, more meat and bones artistry, as far as I'm concerned.

It's a sign of the times, unfortnately.....if Hilson had come out, say, three, four years ago, she'd be winning. Albums hit shelves at lava rates, and just the strength of her Timbaland backing alone would've warranted a street date, one actually met on time. No platinum sales or anything, but successful enough. In 2008 and beyond, though, compact discs sell like cancer raffles, and labels are a bit more cautious as a result. Why waste the dollars needed to put In A Perfect World... in stores when there's a new Eminem album on the horizon? Let's just wait and put extra bucks into Shady. Shit, Interscope even pushed back a new 50 Cent album, due to lackluster requests. Now that's a red flag if ever there was one. If I'm Keri Hilson, I hear the news about 50's album delays and cringe, thinking, "Fuck, time to just tour and forget about my album. That shit's being pushed to Nevuary 34th."

Sucks. I'm not a fan of many new artists these days, but I am one of Keri Hilson. Who knows, maybe I'd even buy her album if it ever comes out? Making it the first CD I've purchased in about two years, give or take two years. The bottom line, I'm contemplating as I type this: I have a thing for women in distress, beautiful girls held captive, yearning for rescue. Explains why I always preferred Wonder Woman when she was losing the fight, or tied up in a cell. Does this have some sort of psychological resonance that I should investigate?