Songwriting duo releases soulful debut

It's all about rhythm and lyrics for the soulful duo Floetry. Marcia Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart (nicknamed the Songstress and the Floacist, respectively), the two women who make up the group, released their first album, Floetic, on Oct. 1. It could be a bit of a disappointment to fans of their first single.\nTheir sound is different, more of an MTV2 sound than mainstream "TRL." The first single and title track, "Floetic," could lead to a lot of misconceptions about the duo. The rest of the album is much more laid back and soulful. \nThere are two bonus tracks, and one is the original demo version of the song "Butterflies" that was released by Michael Jackson. Floetry has also helped write songs for Jill Scott and Glenn Lewis.\n"Mr. Messed Up" is a fun track. The title is self explanatory, but the song tells the title character not to "take it personal," and yet in the CD booklet a personal message is enclosed at the end of the song saying "U know who U R!" Apparently, someone is to take it personal.\nFloacist and Songstress thank a lot of people for influencing them. Macy Gray and Patti LaBelle are two examples, and it's obvious that Floetry models most of its sound from these two artists. Floetry's musical talent is almost as good as those two as well.\nListeners should check out the other songs online before purchasing the CD to know exactly what they're getting into. It's a great CD to sit back and chill to, but it will take a serious R&B and soul fan to truly appreciate the music and lyrics of this album.