1. An MRI apparatus comprising: a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system having a plurality of gradient coils positioned about a bore of a magnet, and an RF transceiver system and an RF switch controlled by a pulse module to transmit RF signals to an RF coil assembly to acquire MR images; and a computer programmed to: apply a spectral-spatial fat saturation pulse; apply a slice selection gradient pulse; acquire imaging data of an imaging slice of interest; and generate an image.