R&B singer Chris Brown publicly apologized in a video posted on YouTube for his "inexcusable" actions toward his then-girlfriend Rihanna . (David Dow/NBAE/Getty Images)

Nearly a month after pleading guilty to assaulting his former pop-star girlfriend, Rihanna, R&B singer Chris Brown has issued his first public apology, and I have to say, it’s left me (almost) speechless.

The singer’s statement, which turned up on YouTube late this afternoon, initially seems to hit all of the right notes on the celebrity apology checklist. Like Isaiah Washington and Mel Gibson before him, Brown says his actions are “uacceptable,” and he admits to being “very sad” and “very ashamed” before making mention of both his mother and the “spiritual teachers” he’s consulted since the highly publicized incident. Brown goes on to say he’s “done a lot of soul searching over the past several months,” before assuring his fans he is “continuing to seek help to ensure that what occurred in February can never happen again.”

Like I said, all the right notes. But am I the only one who feels Brown could’ve worked a little harder on the sincerity part of the apology? Why, for example, are his eyes cast slightly down throughout the statement, giving off the distinct impression he’s reading from cue cards? And though I normally feel less than qualified to comment on anyone’s fashion sense, I have to ask: What on earth is with the orange, brass-buttoned Nehru jacket? Call me crazy, but dressing like a short order cook or a Rhythm Nation back-up dancer might not be the confidence-inspiring look you want to cultivate when you’re begging your fan base for forgiveness…

For more on Brown's mea culpa, check out the CBC News story.

-- Lee Ferguson