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Black...With Sugar (Ariwa, 1990) A former member of British lovers rock trio Brown Sugar (along with former Soul II Soul member Caron Wheeler), Kofi emerges on her own here with a confident, crisp lovers album. This is how lovers rock should be done: the music (courtesy of Mad Professor) is buttery smooth, Kofi's vocals are similarly mellow -- yet with a sultry power that demands your attention -- and the melodies are supple enough to fit into any R&B radio station's nightly "Quiet Storm" programming. Unlike some lovers rock, the material here never treads into the pop realm to a disgusting degree (although there is an R&B remake of Midnight Star's classic "Curious."). But her lyrics don't always stick to pure lovers content. "Big John," for instance, is a poignant tale of a sympathetic killer, while "Black Pride" focuses on, well, black pride. Nevertheless, Kofi's soothing lovers style is consistent, no matter what the lyrical content. Along with the previously mentioned tracks, "There Must Be," "Didn't I," and "Reggae Starship" are especially strong, but all of the cuts on Black...With Sugar come together to set a mood that is hard to resist. |
| Track Listing 1. Black Pride 2. There Must Be 3. Curious 4. Didn't I 5. Big John 6. Do You Really Want Me 7. Looking Over Love 8. Me and Love 9. Reggae Starship 10. Special Nation |
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Wishing Well (Ariwa, 1992)
For the longest time, I was afraid of this album. I had seen it in the store, and I knew one good song on it -- a gorgeous cover of The In-Crowd's "We Play Reggae" -- but for some reason, I thought that it had a good chance of sucking. Perhaps it was because, knowing "We Play Reggae" as an unapologetically happy, bouncy tune that borders on pop (and which is nonetheless completely irresistible), I figured that the album might be something along the lines of "reggae, Disney style." But -- and this is a big, Jennifer Lopez-sized but(t) -- imagine my pleasant surprise when I listened and discovered that Wishing Well was one of the best albums I've heard from a female reggae artist. Every song on it is good; not just solid, but actually good. "We Play Reggae" is typical of the tracks only in its quality and sharp production; most of the rest is either slower or more serious. Kofi provides some of the best lovers rock I've ever heard on cuts like "All in the Game," a marvelous remake of "Don't Let Me Be Lonely," "Sugar and Spice," and the title cut, each supported by Mad Professor's razor-sharp production and Kofi's inspired melodies and romantic, sexy vocals. Even her non-lovers songs -- like her version of The Wailing Souls' "Harbour Shark" and her ska cover of The Pioneers' "Long Shot Kick the Bucket" -- are well-done, both in front of and behind the microphone. But it is in her straight lovers rock cuts that Kofi excels, her gorgeous melodies floating effortlessly by way of her airy voice. I can't imagine how she hasn't gotten more attention and why she hasn't put out more material than she has.
| Track Listing 1. Our Reggae Music 2. Wishing Well 3. All in the Game 4. Longshot Kick the Bucket 5. We Play Reggae 6. Don't Let Me Be Lonely 7. Harbour Shark 8. Never Gonna Keep Us Down 9. Sugar and Spice 10. Sugar and Dub 11. Dub Music 12. Dub Wishing |
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