Surfacing

Turning the spotlight on musicians making a commercial breakthrough.

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-- CASEY DOLAN

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“Unappreciated”

Cherish

Sho’Nuff/Capitol

Artist info: Atlanta continues to be a factory of R&B; talent, as this foursome of sisters demonstrates. Farrah, 22, Neosha, 20, and twins Felisha and Fallon, 18, make up a fun mix of R&B; tracks with the kind of seamless harmonies one would expect from siblings. “Do It to It,” the first single from their second album (but first for Sho’Nuff/Capitol), is a tune that goes over well with both the club set and more sophisticated listeners attracted to the exceptionally smooth production values. Most of the music on the album was written by the four of them, and each brings a slightly different perspective and set of influences to the table.

Back story: The sisters began singing at early ages -- 2 to 6 -- but had their first professional experiences at ages 7 to 11. Warner Bros. signed them in 2003, and their first single, “Miss P.,” was produced by Jermaine Dupri, but the completed album was never released. Atlanta producer Jazze Pha snapped them up on his label Sho’Nuff and landed a distribution deal through Capitol. The album made its debut at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and No. 3 on the R&B;/Hip-Hop chart, thanks to the success of “Do It to It.”

Influences: Destiny’s Child, En Vogue, TLC

Trivia: The video for “Do It to It” did not hit the No. 1 position but still made the Hall of Fame for BET’s “106 & Park” after 65 days on the countdown list. This was a first.