White Soul That Crossed Over

In the May issue of Blender, Mary J. Blige is asked to name an artist that she likes that might be a surprise. She says Hall & Oates. She always thought they were white singers. Seeing that H&O got R&B airplay in their hit days, it's no shock to see Black artists mention their name as someone they liked. She also names George Michael. In 1999, she and Michael released a cover of Stevie Wonder's "As" in Europe. It was a hit and the video was good, also. But Blige's label wouldn't put it out here in the States, even though she wanted them too. Why? Because Michael was still in the tabloids for his Bathroom stall incident. Anyway, I have it on my Ipod; still think it would've been a hit in the U.S., and mention in passing that Blige also says she likes Stevie Nicks.