They're the hottest urban vocal group to hit the scene in a long time. Pretty Ricky -- four brothers from Miami who go by the names Spectacular, Diamond, Slick, and Pleasure -- have recruited an army of fans with a one-two punch combo of albums. No: make that two knockout albums. After all, we're talking about their 2005 debut release Bluestars that ripped up the Billboard charts, and now their sophomore effort Late Night Special which has gone all the way to the top of the Billboard 200. There's no better view from the summit than that!

So what's the buzz? Well, these guys are the whole package. They're talented, artistically versatile, young, good looking and they know how to stir up a bit of showbiz controversy here and there with some provocative lyrics. In fact, the guys have the perfect dichotomy of rough and smooth going. Their R&B textures are silken; but they also know how to get a tough rap going. And they'll run the two together for a unique push-and-pull sound.

That's the winning formula, and here are some examples. How about "Love Like Honey"? Pretty Ricky's layered, smooth R&B vocals are in the tradition of groups like Jagged Edge: lots of elaborate intertwining and escalation to high notes. And just as that's hypnotizing you, in comes the snappy rap -- right over the top of the emotive vocal doodling! It's almost schizophrenic but it works beautifully.

Sometimes Pretty Ricky slow things down even more. Take the dreamy romance number "Stay." Choir-of-angels harmonies breathe life into this heart melter. And still they manage to inject assertive rap passages that give the passion an extra urgency rather than detract from it: "Now close ya eyes and stay a little longer girl/ I'll protect you from the world/ Dez feelings I got for you growin' oh so stronger girl/ I know we had some problems in our past relationships/ Shared so many tears/ I wasn't there but baby I'm right here/ So put ya phone on mute, I'm here."

While their stock in trade is on the down-tempo side, you'll find some dance-worthy cuts here too. "Personal Trainer," for example. Hey, the name gives it away! It's got a boom-cha beat that'll take you deep onto the club floor... or deep into a workout!

Or "Push It Baby," which uses a remarkable mix of rhythms through voice and music that'll give you the chance to try a bunch of moves. What more could you want?

Late Night Special is a fun album. It's a romantic album. It's a saucy album. It's like a blend of albums! Pretty Ricky have struck again and you're going to want to know just exactly what they're up to!

By Adrian Zupp