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?

The Sexy Soul Tour, which was headlined by Eric Benet and featured Mint Condition and Ledisi as opening acts, has been abruptly cancelled after just five shows. The tour, which kicked off Oct. 29 in Houston, played it's last date Nov. 6 in Cleveland. As of right now, the exact reason for the tour being halted aren't known, but in a press release, the promoters said that "due to unforeseen personal matters and circumstances beyond the control of the promoters and most importantly the artists, it had to be done." If you've got tickets to any of the remaining shows, you can get a refund at the point of purchase.

After seeing her star begin to fade the past few years, Pop-R&B diva Amerie gets back on the right track with her fourth album, In Love & War, which was released in the U.S. on Nov. 3, 2009. Moving to the Def Jam label has definitely done her some good, and it shows in every aspect of the album. Not only is her singing bright and powerful, but her team of song producers manage to find the right backing tracks for her vocal style, plus there's a strong theme that carries well throughout the album. In Love & War is a hip, energetic album that properly showcases her singing talent. In other words, Amerie is back. For more, check out the full review of Amerie's In Love & War.

• Review: Amerie - In Love & War
• Artist bio: Amerie

If you hadn't heard, the Soooooooooul Train Awards made a comeback in 2009 after being missing in action the past couple of years. This year's show was taped at the Georgia World Congress Center on Tues., Nov. 3, but won't air until Sun., Nov. 29 on both BET and Centric (the channel formerly known as BET J). (Check your local listings for air times.) If you can't wait that long to know who wins, then have a peek at the full list of nominees and winners of the 2009 Soul Train Awards.

• 2009 Soul Train Awards Nominees and Winners

If you didn't know by now, music producer Ryan Leslie's serious about a singing career. Unlike many of the other producers who have crossed over to become performers (Diddy, Sean Garrett and others come to mind), R-Les actually has the chops to make people forget that he started out helping create hits for others. His sophomore album, Transition, which was released in the U.S. on Nov. 3, 2009, is his second album this year; his self-titled debut came out back in February. And the two albums have the same strengths and weaknesses: the music production is hot of course, but Ryan suffers from a lack of star power and charisma. For more, check out the full review of Ryan Leslie's Transition.

• Review: Ryan Leslie - Transition
• Review: Ryan Leslie - Ryan Leslie
• About.com interview: Ryan Leslie

Pop-R&B diva Amerie dropped a new album this week called In Love & War. A review will be posted here on Friday, but in the meantime, if you're not that familiar with her, you can catch up by reading her about.com min-bio. Among the various fun facts: Amerie is half Korean; she's a Georgetown University graduate; and years ago she hosted a show on BET. For more, click the link below for all about Amerie.

• Artist bio: Amerie

Last month, R&B was dominated by men: seven out of the 10 most noteworthy new albums in October were by male performers. This month though, it's the opposite: seven of the month's 10 biggest albums are by females. Among them: Rated R, Rihanna's first album of all-new music since 2007; In Love & War, the Def Jam debut by veteran singer Amerie; and The Bridge, Canadian singer Melanie Fiona's eagerly anticipated debut, which it looks like will be finally released this month after being pushed back a handful of times since May. Also dropping in November: Transition, the second album this year from singer-producer Ryan Leslie. For the full detials, check out the article on November 2009's new R&B/Soul albums.

• New R&B/Soul Albums: Nov. 2009
• New R&B/Soul Albums: Oct. 2009