Voices - Just The Beginning... (1992)

I am finally satisfying a years long request with the one and only album by Voices, an R&B pre-teen girl group that is best known for originally featuring television star twins Tia & Tamera Mowry. The group was formed in Los Angeles and though there were many other new jack swing girl groups at the time, they had a unique angle in that they were not yet in their teens. This had them being compared to male counterparts like the Jackson 5, New Edition and The Boys. Originally the group consisted of Monique Wilson, Arike Rice, and twins Tia & Tamera Mowry. They were signed to Zoo Entertainment and recorded the song "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!", as well as a video. Soon after, the twins' mother had a disagreement with their management and pulled them out of the group. They were replaced with sisters LaToya and LaPetra McMoore. The song became a modest hit, reaching #14 on the Billboard R&B chart and #72 on the Hot 100. They released an album and a second single, "M.M.D.R.N.F. (My Mama Didn't Raise No Fool)", and opened on tour for a multitude of popular R&B acts. Their second single stalled in the lower end of the R&B charts, however, and their third, "Cloudy With A Chance Of Tears" did even worse. With no major hits and label issues, the group broke up. A couple of years later the Mowry sisters appeared in their own sitcom, Sister, Sister, to great success. After the show ended in 1999, they both went to university and then returned to acting in various film and television shows, most recently their own reality show in 2011 on the Style Network. Arike Rice would reappear on the scene with her sister and cousin in 1999 as part of the R&B trio Before Dark. They would release one album, Daydreamin', and have a few minor R&B hits including one Hot 100 song, "Monica", which reached #77. Arike continues to record and has been a back-up dancer for the likes of Janet Jackson, Kanye West, Missy Elliott and Black Eyed Peas. Not much has been heard from Monique Wilson and her goings on, but she does have a Myspace page. LaToya McMoore, aka Josie G, ended up marrying Marc Gordon of R&B group Levert and has continued to pursue a solo career, and also has her own Myspace page. Her sister LaPetra, however, took a much different path by enlisting in the Army reserve as part of the Hawaiian National Guard, and served in Iraq. It always amazes me what some of these artists get up to in later years, especially when it's something noble and beneficial to society. (BTW, one must note the irony of the album title, since this was not 'just the beginning' but also the end... ;)

UPDATE:  Just got a message on Facebook from Monique Wilson with some updates!  Check it out, and thanks Momo!!

"Aloha, I'm Momo of the lost Voices tribe, I am on a island but I'm not lost...I've been playing music the whole time after Voices.  Check me out: momoandthesituation.com.  My video on YouTube: Momo - Steppin Wit My Hot Team. I am so grateful people still love our music, we worked really hard and had some trippy glitches happen to prohibit our success. If you want to know the low down on the show down I'm at momofryar1234@gmail.com. I am currently releasing my solo album Momo - So What's Your Situation.  Mahalo, Peace and love, Momo"

Video for Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

Download Just The Beginning...

1		Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
2		Wait For The Beeeep (Interlude)
3		Library Card
4		M.M.D.R.N.F. (My Mama Didn't Raise No Fool)
5		Cloudy With A Chance Of Tears
6		Always
7		We Are Voices
8		I'll Wipe All Your Tears Away
9		The Love You Save
10		Studio Chatter (Interlude)
11		Love Lives Right Next Door
12		Blessed (The Praise Song)
13		Just The Beginning...