Hot Coko is the debut solo studio album by American R&B singer Coko. It was released by RCA Records on August 10, 1999.[3]Hot Coko served as the singer's debut effort following the release of her band SWV's third album Release Some Tension (1997), which led towards the group's first disbandment in 1998. Guest appearances on the album are made by rapper Eve and singer Tyrese. Hot Coko features production from the likes of Damon Thomas, Rodney Jerkins, Marc Anthony, Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Brian Alexander Morgan, whom Coko worked with while a member of SWV earlier in the decade.
| Hot Coko | ||||
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| Released | August 10, 1999 | |||
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| Length | 51:32 | |||
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| Singles from Hot Coko | ||||
The album debuted at number 68 on the US Billboard 200 and entered the top 20 of the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics upon its release. Hot Coko spawned two singles that found minimal Billboard chart success, with its lead single "Sunshine", reaching the lower ranks of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it reached the top seventy, becoming her sole appearance on that chart to date. Shortly after the album's underperformance on the Billboard charts, Coko departed RCA in late 1999.
Background and recording
editCoko first rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the trio SWV. Following the group's disbandment in 1998, she pursued a solo music career.[4] In a 1999 Billboard interview, Coko said that she had been unable to record solo music due to her SWV obligations.[5] Her debut studio album was recorded in various studios in California and New York.[6] Coko took more creative control of her music by co-writing songs and picking producers.[5] She co-wrote music with Rodney Jerkins who also produced songs for the album.[5][7]
Although she described hip hop music as "cool", Coko identified herself as a R&B artist.[5] She referred to the album as representing her "gospel roots" and likened her sound to Alvin and the Chipmunks with a "Coko twist".[8] RCA executive Brett Wright believed that Coko would remain "true to her R&B roots" and cited the "urban crossover market" as her primary demographic.[5]
Composition and lyrics
editBillboard's Steven J. Horowitz wrote that "Sunshine" was an "ebullient ode to a loved one".[9] Coko dedicated the song to her then three-year-old son Lil Tracy.[10] Produced by Jerkins, the instrumentation consists of "interlocking jerky drum loops and squelching basslines" and a "stuttering production". Noisey's David Lehmann wrote it was similar to Jenkins' other late 1990s songs.[11] Recording the song with "multi-layered vocals",[11] Coko sings the lyrics: "Sunshine, sunshine / You brighten up my days / I love you always".[12] Vibe's Larry Flick likened the lyrics to a nursery rhyme, and described "Bigger Than We" and "Try-Na Come Home" as soul ballads.[12] Flick compared Coko's vocals for "Bigger Than We" to Gladys Knight, specifically due to the song's "layer rhythm-harmony arrangement".[12]
"Triflin'", featuring a rap verse from Eve, is an R&B song with hip hop influences and lyrics about a woman teasing her boyfriend.[13] The hook includes: "Ghetto / Sorry / Oh no / Tired game / And that's such a shame / ... pitiful."[12] Entertainment Weekly's Matt Diehl cited "Triflin'" and "I Ain't Feelin You" as examples of hip hop soul.[14] Flick wrote that "I Ain't Feelin You" was a "funk anthem" and referred to "Everytime" as "smooth [and] warmly romantic".[12] Coko recorded "If This World Were Mine", originally a 1967 single by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, as a duet with Tyrese.[15] Flick described the cover as a slow jam.[12] The standard edition of the album ends with "So Hard to Say Goodbye" which features backing vocals from Babyface and Kevon Edmonds.[15]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Billboard | (favorable)[17] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[18] |
| Rolling Stone |  [19] |
| Vibe | (favorable)[19] |
Hot Coko was released to a generally positive reception. AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "[Coko] isn't the most charismatic singer, but she is blessed with a strong voice that sounds very inviting when placed in the right settings."[16] Matt Diehl from Entertainment Weekly found that Hot Coko "plays like a game of 'Name That Diva': Too often, she obliges Mary J. Blige fans with copycat vocals of their idol while faithfully replicating Faith Evans’ smooth sound. But when Coko’s flamethrower pipes cook the chocolaty-good hip-hop soul rhythms that drive ”Triflin”’ and ”I Ain’t Feeling You,” she’s not just a sister with a voice but with an attitude."[18]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" |
| 0:40 | |
| 2. | "Don't Take Your Love Away" |
| Jerkins | 4:10 |
| 3. | "Sunshine" |
| Jerkins | 4:07 |
| 4. | "You and Me" |
| Jerkins | 4:26 |
| 5. | "Bigger Than We" | Brian Alexander Morgan | Morgan | 4:37 |
| 6. | "Try-Na Come Home" |
| J. Daniels | 4:28 |
| 7. | "Triflin'" (featuring Eve) |
|
| 4:47 |
| 8. | "I Ain't Feelin You" |
| Jerkins | 4:27 |
| 9. | "Everytime" |
| Morgan | 5:07 |
| 10. | "All My Lovin'" |
| Jerkins | 5:02 |
| 11. | "If This World Were Mine" (featuring Tyrese) | Marvin Gaye | Michael J. Powell | 5:21 |
| 12. | "So Hard to Say Goodbye" |
| Thomas | 4:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "He Be Back" | Elliott | 4:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "This Ain't Love" | Laney Stewart | Stewart | 4:19 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[20] | 68 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] | 14 |
References
edit- ^ "ADDvance Notice" (PDF). Radio & Records. July 9, 1999. p. 57. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Gavin Top40/Rhythm: Impact Dates". Gavin Report. No. 2278. November 1, 1999. p. 9.
- ^ "Billboard". July 17, 1999.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Coko: Artist Biography by Heather Phares". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Hay, Carla (July 17, 1999). "SWV's Coko Aims To Make Solo Splash". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 29. pp. 24, 28. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hot Coko: AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018.
- ^ "Coko Breaks Down SWV Break-Up". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
- ^ Mao, Andrea Duncan (August 24, 1999). "Coko Sounds off On Solo Debut". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
- ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (March 4, 2015). "Girl Group Solo Songs: The 10 Best (Non-Beyonce) Singles of the Modern Era". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017.
- ^ Marcus, Ezra (March 7, 2019). "Lil Tracy's Third Life". The Fader. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Lehmann, David (December 12, 2014). "The Noisey Guide to Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins". Noisey. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Flick, Larry (October 1999). "Hot Coko". Vibe. 7 (8): 177–178. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Chuck (November 20, 1999). "Singles: Triflin'". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 47. p. 25. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Diehl, Matt (August 13, 1999). "Music Review: 'Hot Coko'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Verna, Paul (August 28, 1999). "Hot Coko". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 35. p. 26. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ a b "Hot Coko - Coko | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Billboard". August 28, 1999.
- ^ a b Diehl, Matt (August 13, 1999). "Music Review: 'Hot Coko'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Vibe". Vibe Media. October 1999.
- ^ "Coko Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "Coko Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.