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“R&B Divas” recap (3.7): Country Twang

Last week on R&B Divas, Monifah tried on wedding dresses and Syleena kicked it with Da Brat. This week, we didn’t get a lot of gayness, if that’s all you’re here for. We didn’t even get to see Terez’s beautiful face! BUT a lot of this episode focused on Keke Wyatt. And immediately after Monifah and Terez, I love me some Keke Wyatt, and there are a LOT of Keke feelings during this hour. Spoiler alert: She cries! I cry!

We begin with her in the studio, pumping out some new jams, and by “jams” I mean “soulful country ballads.” Keke’s music is taking a new direction, and she’s both extremely comfortable and extremely nervous in this new country space. The song she’s singing is called “You,” a track by Chuck Harmony, and it is good. It’s been stuck in my head ever since, in fact. Her voice is on-point, crisp and clear, and melds perfectly with the style. Which makes me think that Keke Wyatt can just do no wrong.

But, as Keke says: “Unfortunately, people just have a problem [with] people who aren’t white in country.” There’s a lot of truth in this, which is a damn shame, because in a lot of ways, country and R&B music have a lot in common-the emphasis on emotion, the themes of heartache and loss, and getting back to musical folk roots out of which both sprung. I think it’s an important topic to discuss. But with folks like Keke Wyatt and Kacey Musgraves stepping into the country mix, though, I think there can be a lot of change for good in country in the coming decades: queer country artists, black country artists, country artists being whoever they want to be.

After this successful studio session, we then see a series of failed One Night Only rehearsals. I know! I’m shocked about it, too! In the first one, Angie pushes LaTavia about singing, in a very Angie style, to the point where everyone is just begging her to shut up and LaTavia ends up walking out. What Angie often conceives of as caring and sisterly in her head turns out just sounding aggressive and bullying to everyone else. But Angie actually does have a point here. Like, why is LaTavia still showing up to these rehearsals if she’s not planning on performing at the concert? I’m just over it.

Anyway, back to Keke! She and Michael are planning a “Fan Appreciation Night,” a big ol’ free party to celebrate her and share some of her new songs. She goes on the Rickey Smiley radio show to promote it, during which all kinds of goofiness happens, and later, her closest entourage will stroll through downtown Atlanta in order to see her very own billboard advertising the event, on which she looks fierce. Keke! So happy for you! But when Michael shows her around the venue, which is gorgeous and humongous, Keke starts to worry that not enough people will come to fill it.

The real drama of the episode, though, makes its way to town when Syleena visits Mo in the studio. First, let’s talk about how it feels like we’ve seen Mo, Syleena, and Keke having more studio sessions this season than ever before. It feels good! Like they’re making more music than before, like they’re all in really good places with their careers. (Speaking of, you can also now see all the divas’ planned concerts and events on TV One’s website.) But Leena’s not in the best place mentally at this very moment, which is why she’s come to vent to Mo. The situation is this: a few months ago, Angie had invited Syleena to go on a European tour with her, but later it had been decided that it wouldn’t work financially. But then! Through the wonders of the Internet, Syleena has discovered that Angie’s booked the tour anyway-for herself.

Because of this, it feels like Syleena-and Monifah-are just DONE with Angie at this point. Of course, it is true that we haven’t been able to see Angie’s side of the story, and it looks like we don’t get to see that confrontation until next episode. But I’m not exactly sure what Angie’s side of the story could be that wouldn’t still disrespect Syleena in some way.

At their next rehearsal, Angie brings in a song that she wants them all to perform together, and it’s all about sisterhood and being BFFs and yadda yadda, and Monifah and Syleena pretty much can’t handle it. Syleena’s too mad to talk at first, so Mo steps up, saying some pretty harsh (for Mo) stuff, about how she just doesn’t believe it, how Angie and the song seem inauthentic. Then Syleena starts saying pretty much everything she can about The Tour Thing without actually talking about The Tour Thing. And this is not actually a funny scene at all, but the other divas have no idea what is happening other than that whatever it is, it’s not good, and their confusion makes it kind of funny. The count for Times One Night Only Rehearsals Were Successful currently stands at 0/3247.

Monifah also brings LaTavia into her studio-once more-to try to convince her-once more-to sing at the One Night Only concert, but she does so in a less confrontational way than Angie did. She encourages LaTavia to at least have a song prepared. LaTavia says how she feels like she’s damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t at this point, so Monifah encourages her to channel that emotion into a song. She starts doing a little freestyle, riffing on the damned if you do and damned if you don’t idea, hoping LaTavia will jump in at some point. She doesn’t. But Monifah’s spur-of-the-moment song is pretty fantastic, so at least there’s that bright spot!

But I guess Monifah helped a little, and LaTavia IS planning on performing, I think, because she also goes to vocal lessons this episode? Even though she is the most negative-thinking pouty-pants about it? So you ARE going to sing? But put off working on anything until the last minute so you can continue to melt down about everything? I am so confused.

The episode finishes off with Keke’s Fan Appreciation Part-ay, and Keke needn’t have worried, because the place looks packed, and she looks beautiful, and her divas and her momma and her granddaddy and mommy are all in the VIP couches up front, and life is good! Except Keke is nervous. So nervous! She’s worried people aren’t going to like her new country-fied songs. So when she gets up on the stage, her nerves cause her to do a bunch of awkward Keke rambling and joking, which prompts a heckler in the crowd to start yelling at her to quit talking and sing. And yes, fine gentleman, she probably should quit talking and sing, but she can also do whatever the hell she wants so you just SHUT YOUR ASS UP.

Keke does, of course, eventually quit talking and sings. And she doesn’t just sing. She S-I-N-G-S! I start to lose it when they show her mom’s face-so proud!-and the crowd is loving it. Because why wouldn’t they?

When she finally gets through the song, her mom gives her a hug and a kiss.

And then Keke, choked up with actual tears, says shakily into the mic how scared she was that they wouldn’t like it. KEKE FEELINGS OVERLOAD. OUR SWEET BABY.

It also appears that next week’s episode is going to make up for the lack of Monifah and Terez wedding talk in this one, because next week is Monifah’s DIVA BACHELORETTE PARTY. And it looks crazy. All’s I know is that there’s apparently a female stripper who sets her ass on fire? File under: Things Straight Girls Think Lesbians Like. And then, like every bachelorette party/middle school dance, someone gets in a fight! I am so there, Episode 8.

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