* En anglais uniquement
Silky-voiced singer
Felicia Adams kicked around the fringes of the contemporary R&B scene for about a decade before embarking on a full-fledged solo career in 2004. Born and raised in New York and influenced by the likes of
Diana Ross,
Dionne Warwick, and
Stevie Wonder, she broke into the music industry during the early '90s, when her talents were noticed by producer
Eddie F. It was a fateful encounter for
Adams.
Eddie F., aka
Edward "DJ Eddie F." Ferrell, had risen to fame during the late '80s as one of "
the Boyz" in pop-rapper
Heavy D's posse.
Eddie had produced and co-written a great many of the songs on
Heavy D's most successful album,
Big Tyme (1989), and also worked with other artists affiliated with
André Harrell's Uptown Records (
Al B. Sure!,
Jodeci,
Mary J. Blige,
Father MC,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, etc.). Following this success,
Eddie broke away from Uptown and started Untouchables Entertainment, which was a supergroup of talent headed by the producer. This is where
Adams came into the picture. She sang the leadoff song on Let's Get It On (1994), the showcase compilation for
Eddie F. & the Untouchables, released by Motown. The song, "Thinking of You," was a magnificent beginning to her solo career. But then nothing happened.
Eddie's Untouchables venture didn't realize its potential, nor did
Adams realize hers at the time as a result. Fast-forward seven years to 2001, the year
Adams resurfaced with a pair of dynamite songs on
John Singleton's star-studded
Baby Boy soundtrack: "You" and the title track. This opportunity seemed to reignite her career, and she went on to work with such artists as
Donell Jones,
Ashanti,
LovHer, and
Case soon afterward. She also started her own music company around this time, LadyBoss Enterprises (formed in 2002), and began making preparations for her independent solo debut album, Read My Lips (2004). ~ Jason Birchmeier