Mars/Venus

Time was that R&B had a host of girl/boy teams, but those days were a distant memory till the Jersey-based Koffee Brown got to brewing. Inspired by notables like Ashford & Simpson (though not as good), Koffee Brown inject their li'l slice of ghetto heaven love songs with enough product placement to keep things jiggy. Fortunately, the duo has enough vocal skills to satisfy the more sedate fan. The gimmick is that Vee (the girl) and Fonz (the guy) bring their respective gender bias to the songs, which means there's plenty of he-said-she-said to accompany producer Kay-Gee's undeniably hooky grooves and radio-ready beats. With its throw-your-hands-in-the-air appeal and Friday nite bounce, the first single, "After Party," is the epitome of good times. When Koffee Brown keep the mood up and lay off the melodrama they're fun, and good to the last drop. --Amy Linden