Believe it or not, although they seem like pretty distant relatives now, R&B and Country used to be close musical cousins back in the day. In the 1960s and '70s many R&B artists, particularly ones from the South, used to remake Country songs and inject them with a healthy dose of R&B. There's even a name for the mixed genre: Country-Soul. And although you wouldn't know it by looking at contemporary music charts, new Country-Soul albums are still released to this very day. And with that in mind, this list celebrates the best Country/Soul collaborations, crossovers and cover songs from over the years.

• R&B/Country Crossovers, Covers & Collaborations

Album cover © Liz Toussaint.

If you're looking for a present for that special R&B/Soul music lover, you're not alone. Unfortunately, one item that would have been a great gift, the DVD of the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It, has been pushed back to 2010. But the good news is, there's still plenty of good stuff out there to give as gifts, some of which you might not even have thought of. So with a few gift ideas for you, here's the About.com 2009 Holiday Gift Guide for R&B and Soul music lovers.

• 2009 Holiday Gift Guide
• 2008 Holiday Gift Guide

Thanks to studio wizardry these days, pretty much anyone can put out a hit single. All it takes is a little vocal ability, some self confidence and good producers to tweak the product until it sounds just right. And so any new R&B singer coming out these days is bound to face questions about whether they can really sing. Well, on her debut album, The Bridge, which was released via iTunes on Oct. 20, 2009 and will be available everywhere else Nov. 10, Toronto singer Melanie Fiona shows us that although her first hit single, "Give it to Me Right" benefits from great production, her voice is the true star of the show. For more, check out the full review of Melanie Fiona's The Bridge.

• Review: Melanie Fiona - The Bridge
• Music: Melanie Fiona - "Give it to Me Right"

Some of the more interestin news and rumors from the past week:

• Rihanna has broke her silence about the night Chris Brown attacked her, saying he bit her, put her in a headlock and left her bleeding and swollen.
• Chris is also talking about that fateful night, telling MTV that the details of what happened "should remain a private matter."
• If you bought tickets to Eric Benet's Sexy Soul Tour, it's time to get a refund; the entire tour has been cancelled.
• The reborn Soul Train Awards were held in Atlanta last week.
• Usher's divorce from Tameka Raymond is now final.
• Speaking of divorces, is Toni Braxton next?