3LW announced in February 2002 that they had recorded 10 tracks for their sophomore studio album to be titled
A Girl Can Mack. On June 18, the group released the
P. Diddy–produced single "
I Do (Wanna Get Close To You)", featuring
Loon. The song was a moderate chart hit, peaking at number 58 on the
Billboard Hot 100. It achieved greater success in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 13. In mid-July, the group was rehearsing for a concert special as part of the
TEENick Summer Concerts series. By August, the group was set to release
A Girl Can Mack, when member Naughton left the group following an altercation between her and Williams involving a plate of food from
KFC. Williams and Bailon initially denied that this occurred; Williams later acknowledged the incident but said that "it was so much more than that". Naughton cited numerous conflicts with the group's management (mainly Michelle Williams, Kiely Williams's mother) and said that she was forced out of the group, while members Williams and Bailon claimed that Naughton had been unhappy within the group for some time and lacked ambition. Despite this,
A Girl Can Mack's planned September release date was pushed back a month and the duo returned to the studio to record five new tracks after several songs intended for the record leaked online. The album was eventually released on October 22, 2002. Naughton was only credited for lead vocals on two songs on the album - "Funny" and "More Than Friends". Naughton claimed that management prevented her from appearing on certain songs, while Bailon said: "there would be some times when she really did not even want to go to the studio - and there are a couple of songs that she did not even participate in at all." At the end of the month, the group released "I Need That (I Want That)", as the third single from
A Girl Can Mack, but the song did not chart. With Benson, the group continued to promote
A Girl Can Mack with several tour dates. ==Critical reception==