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== Background and recording ==
== Background and recording ==
[[Coko]] 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.<ref name="Source1">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/coko-mn0000089042/biography|title=Coko: Artist Biography by Heather Phares|last=Phares|first=Heather|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503043429/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/coko-mn0000089042/biography|archive-date=May 3, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In a 1999 [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] interview, Coko said that she had been unable to record solo music due to her SWV obligations.<ref name="Journal2">{{cite journal|last=Hay|first=Carla|date=July 17, 1999|title=SWV's Coko Aims To Make Solo Splash|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24&dq=%22Hot+Coko%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqiPmuoIXhAhVCx1kKHUMrBvEQ6AEIMjAC#v=|volume=111|issue=29|pages=24, 28|accessdate=March 15, 2019|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> Her debut studio album was recorded in various studios in California and New York.<ref name="Source2">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-coko-mw0000668343|title=Hot Coko: AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210214257/https://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-coko-mw0000668343|archive-date=December 10, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Coko took more creative control of her music by co-writing songs and picking producers.<ref name="Journal2" /> She co-wrote music with [[Rodney Jerkins]] who also produced songs for the album.<ref name="Journal2" /><ref name="Source3">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1427206/coko-breaks-down-swv-break-up/|title=Coko Breaks Down SWV Break-Up|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630111858/http://www.mtv.com/news/1427206/coko-breaks-down-swv-break-up/|archive-date=June 30, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
[[Coko]] 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.<ref name="Source1">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/coko-mn0000089042/biography|title=Coko: Artist Biography by Heather Phares|last=Phares|first=Heather|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503043429/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/coko-mn0000089042/biography|archive-date=May 3, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In a 1999 [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] interview, Coko said that she had been unable to record solo music due to her SWV obligations.<ref name="Journal2">{{cite journal|last=Hay|first=Carla|date=July 17, 1999|title=SWV's Coko Aims To Make Solo Splash|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kAgEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Hot+Coko%22&pg=PA24|volume=111|issue=29|pages=24, 28|access-date=March 15, 2019|journal=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> Her debut studio album was recorded in various studios in California and New York.<ref name="Source2">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-coko-mw0000668343|title=Hot Coko: AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210214257/https://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-coko-mw0000668343|archive-date=December 10, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Coko took more creative control of her music by co-writing songs and picking producers.<ref name="Journal2" /> She co-wrote music with [[Rodney Jerkins]] who also produced songs for the album.<ref name="Journal2" /><ref name="Source3">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1427206/coko-breaks-down-swv-break-up/|title=Coko Breaks Down SWV Break-Up|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630111858/http://www.mtv.com/news/1427206/coko-breaks-down-swv-break-up/|archive-date=June 30, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>


Although she described [[hip hop music]] as "cool", Coko identified herself as a [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] artist.<ref name="Journal2" /> She referred to the album as representing her "gospel roots" and likened her sound to [[Alvin and the Chipmunks]] with a "Coko twist".<ref name="Source10">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1427204/coko-sounds-off-on-solo-debut/|title=Coko Sounds off On Solo Debut|last=Mao|first=Andrea Duncan|date=August 24, 1999|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630113052/http://www.mtv.com/news/1427204/coko-sounds-off-on-solo-debut/|archive-date=June 30, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[RCA Records|RCA]] executive Brett Wright believed that Coko would remain "true to her R&B roots" and cited the "[[Urban contemporary|urban]] [[Crossover music|crossover market]]" as her primary demographic.<ref name="Journal2" />
Although she described [[hip hop music]] as "cool", Coko identified herself as a [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] artist.<ref name="Journal2" /> She referred to the album as representing her "gospel roots" and likened her sound to [[Alvin and the Chipmunks]] with a "Coko twist".<ref name="Source10">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1427204/coko-sounds-off-on-solo-debut/|title=Coko Sounds off On Solo Debut|last=Mao|first=Andrea Duncan|date=August 24, 1999|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630113052/http://www.mtv.com/news/1427204/coko-sounds-off-on-solo-debut/|archive-date=June 30, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[RCA Records|RCA]] executive Brett Wright believed that Coko would remain "true to her R&B roots" and cited the "[[Urban contemporary|urban]] [[Crossover music|crossover market]]" as her primary demographic.<ref name="Journal2" />


== Composition and lyrics ==
== Composition and lyrics ==
[[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']]'s Steven J. Horowitz wrote that "Sunshine" was an "ebullient ode to a loved one".<ref name="Source4">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/pop-shop/girl-group-week/6487786/top-10-girl-group-solo-songs|title=Girl Group Solo Songs: The 10 Best (Non-Beyonce) Singles of the Modern Era|last=Horowitz|first=Steven J.|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023160134/http://www.billboard.com/articles/pop-shop/girl-group-week/6487786/top-10-girl-group-solo-songs|archive-date=October 23, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Coko dedicated the song to her then three-year-old son [[Lil Tracy]].<ref name="Source5">{{cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2019/03/07/lil-tracy-cover-story|title=Lil Tracy’s Third Life|last=Marcus|first=Ezra|date=March 7, 2019|work=[[The Fader]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308072452/https://www.thefader.com/2019/03/07/lil-tracy-cover-story|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Source6">{{cite web|url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/6azzdz/the-noisey-guide-to-rodney-darkchild-jerkins|title=The Noisey Guide to Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins|last=Lehmann|first=David|date=December 12, 2014|publisher=[[Noisey]]|accessdate=March 15, 2019}}</ref> Recording the song with "multi-layered vocals",<ref name="Source6" /> Coko sings the lyrics: "Sunshine, sunshine / You brighten up my days / I love you always".<ref name="Journal1">{{cite journal|last=Flick|first=Larry|date=October 1999|title=Hot Coko|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MSgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA178&dq=%22Hot+Coko%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj00qOsnYXhAhVGs1kKHWocA5EQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q|volume=7|issue=8|pages=177–178|accessdate=March 15, 2019|work=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]}}</ref> [[Vibe (magazine)|''Vibe'']]'s Larry Flick likened the lyrics to a [[nursery rhyme]], and described "Bigger Than We" and "Try-Na Come Home" as [[soul ballad]]s.<ref name="Journal1" /> Flick compared Coko's vocals for "Bigger Than We" to [[Gladys Knight]], specifically due to the song's "layer rhythm-harmony arrangement".<ref name="Journal1" />
[[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']]'s Steven J. Horowitz wrote that "Sunshine" was an "ebullient ode to a loved one".<ref name="Source4">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/pop-shop/girl-group-week/6487786/top-10-girl-group-solo-songs|title=Girl Group Solo Songs: The 10 Best (Non-Beyonce) Singles of the Modern Era|last=Horowitz|first=Steven J.|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023160134/http://www.billboard.com/articles/pop-shop/girl-group-week/6487786/top-10-girl-group-solo-songs|archive-date=October 23, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Coko dedicated the song to her then three-year-old son [[Lil Tracy]].<ref name="Source5">{{cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2019/03/07/lil-tracy-cover-story|title=Lil Tracy's Third Life|last=Marcus|first=Ezra|date=March 7, 2019|work=[[The Fader]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308072452/https://www.thefader.com/2019/03/07/lil-tracy-cover-story|archive-date=March 8, 2019|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Source6">{{cite web|url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/6azzdz/the-noisey-guide-to-rodney-darkchild-jerkins|title=The Noisey Guide to Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins|last=Lehmann|first=David|date=December 12, 2014|publisher=[[Noisey]]|access-date=March 15, 2019}}</ref> Recording the song with "multi-layered vocals",<ref name="Source6" /> Coko sings the lyrics: "Sunshine, sunshine / You brighten up my days / I love you always".<ref name="Journal1">{{cite journal|last=Flick|first=Larry|date=October 1999|title=Hot Coko|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MSgEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Hot+Coko%22&pg=PA178|volume=7|issue=8|pages=177–178|access-date=March 15, 2019|journal=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]}}</ref> [[Vibe (magazine)|''Vibe'']]'s Larry Flick likened the lyrics to a [[nursery rhyme]], and described "Bigger Than We" and "Try-Na Come Home" as [[soul ballad]]s.<ref name="Journal1" /> Flick compared Coko's vocals for "Bigger Than We" to [[Gladys Knight]], specifically due to the song's "layer rhythm-harmony arrangement".<ref name="Journal1" />


"Triflin'", featuring a rap verse from [[Eve (rapper)|Eve]], is an R&B song with hip hop influences and lyrics about a woman teasing her boyfriend.<ref name="Journal3">{{cite journal|last=Taylor|first=Chuck|date=November 20, 1999|title=Singles: Triflin'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA25&dq=%22Coko%22+%22Eve%22+%22Triflin%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXn_fwpYXhAhXMwVkKHQhMBIEQ6AEIMjAC#v=onepage&q=%22Coko%22%20%22Eve%22%20%22Triflin%22&f=false|volume=111|issue=47|pages=25|accessdate=March 15, 2019|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> The [[Hook (music)|hook]] includes: "Ghetto / Sorry / Oh no / Tired game / And that's such a shame / ... pitiful."<ref name="Journal1" /> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''<nowiki/>'s Matt Diehl cited "Triflin'" and "I Ain't Feelin You" as examples of [[hip hop soul]].<ref name="Source11">{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/08/13/music-review-hot-coko/|title=Music Review: 'Hot Coko'|last=Diehl|first=Matt|date=August 13, 1999|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120171237/http://www.ew.com/article/1999/08/13/music-review-hot-coko|archive-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Flick wrote that "I Ain't Feelin You" was a "[[funk]] anthem" and referred to "Everytime" as "smooth [and] warmly romantic".<ref name="Journal1" /> Coko recorded "[[If This World Were Mine]]", originally a 1967 single by [[Marvin Gaye]] and [[Tammi Terrell]], as a duet with [[Tyrese Gibson|Tyrese]].<ref name="Journal4">{{cite journal|last=Verna|first=Paul|date=August 28, 1999|title=Hot Coko|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26&dq=%22So+Hard+to+Say+Goodbye%22+%22Coko%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjH8p331YXhAhVM11kKHbZbCuAQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=%22So%20Hard%20to%20Say%20Goodbye%22%20%22Coko%22&f=false|volume=111|issue=35|pages=26|accessdate=March 15, 2019|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> Flick described the cover as a [[slow jam]].<ref name="Journal1" /> The standard edition of the album ends with "So Hard to Say Goodbye" which features [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]] from [[Babyface (musician)|Babyface]] and [[Kevon Edmonds]].<ref name="Journal4" />
"Triflin'", featuring a rap verse from [[Eve (rapper)|Eve]], is an R&B song with hip hop influences and lyrics about a woman teasing her boyfriend.<ref name="Journal3">{{cite journal|last=Taylor|first=Chuck|date=November 20, 1999|title=Singles: Triflin'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwgEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Coko%22+%22Eve%22+%22Triflin%22&pg=PA25|volume=111|issue=47|pages=25|access-date=March 15, 2019|journal=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> The [[Hook (music)|hook]] includes: "Ghetto / Sorry / Oh no / Tired game / And that's such a shame / ... pitiful."<ref name="Journal1" /> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''<nowiki/>'s Matt Diehl cited "Triflin'" and "I Ain't Feelin You" as examples of [[hip hop soul]].<ref name="Source11">{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/08/13/music-review-hot-coko/|title=Music Review: 'Hot Coko'|last=Diehl|first=Matt|date=August 13, 1999|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120171237/http://www.ew.com/article/1999/08/13/music-review-hot-coko|archive-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Flick wrote that "I Ain't Feelin You" was a "[[funk]] anthem" and referred to "Everytime" as "smooth [and] warmly romantic".<ref name="Journal1" /> Coko recorded "[[If This World Were Mine]]", originally a 1967 single by [[Marvin Gaye]] and [[Tammi Terrell]], as a duet with [[Tyrese Gibson|Tyrese]].<ref name="Journal4">{{cite journal|last=Verna|first=Paul|date=August 28, 1999|title=Hot Coko|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nggEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22So+Hard+to+Say+Goodbye%22+%22Coko%22&pg=PA26|volume=111|issue=35|pages=26|access-date=March 15, 2019|journal=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> Flick described the cover as a [[slow jam]].<ref name="Journal1" /> The standard edition of the album ends with "So Hard to Say Goodbye" which features [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]] from [[Babyface (musician)|Babyface]] and [[Kevon Edmonds]].<ref name="Journal4" />


==Reception==
==Reception==
Line 67: Line 67:
|rev2Score = (favorable)<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=coko+hot+coko+reviews&source=bl&ots=9XKLLWdb2S&sig=ACfU3U33WS9A51thIHN77cvgU7Gpe3ijvQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjOk9jE1rbkAhWIjFkKHRJwCfs4ChDoATAHegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=coko%20hot%20coko%20reviews&f=false]</ref>
|rev2Score = (favorable)<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=coko+hot+coko+reviews&source=bl&ots=9XKLLWdb2S&sig=ACfU3U33WS9A51thIHN77cvgU7Gpe3ijvQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjOk9jE1rbkAhWIjFkKHRJwCfs4ChDoATAHegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=coko%20hot%20coko%20reviews&f=false]</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
|rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
|rev3Score = C+<ref name="ew">{{cite web|title=Music Review: 'Hot Coko'|first=Matt|last=Diehl|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/08/13/music-review-hot-coko/|date=August 13, 1999|accessdate=September 28, 2020}}</ref>
|rev3Score = C+<ref name="ew">{{cite web|title=Music Review: 'Hot Coko'|first=Matt|last=Diehl|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/08/13/music-review-hot-coko/|date=August 13, 1999|access-date=September 28, 2020}}</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
|rev4 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
|rev4Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=MSgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=vibe+hot+coko&source=bl&ots=FYOo5EPqoJ&sig=ACfU3U1xnd3tonGWRSPdLc_C5txiP6YhIg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwia5oCR17bkAhWDtlkKHewdC1wQ6AEwAXoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=vibe%20hot%20coko&f=false]</ref>
|rev4Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=MSgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=vibe+hot+coko&source=bl&ots=FYOo5EPqoJ&sig=ACfU3U1xnd3tonGWRSPdLc_C5txiP6YhIg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwia5oCR17bkAhWDtlkKHewdC1wQ6AEwAXoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=vibe%20hot%20coko&f=false]</ref>

Revision as of 21:32, 11 April 2021

Hot Coko
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 10, 1999 (1999-08-10)
Studio
Various
  • "B" Section
    (Elk Grove, California)
    Capitol Studios
    (Hollywood, California)
    Electric Lady Studios
    Manhattan Center Studios
    The Hit Factory
    A Room With A View Studios
    Right Track Recording
    Sony Music Studios
    (New York City)
    Studio 17
    (White Plains, New York)
    Pacifique Studios
    (North Hollywood, California)
    Brandon's Way Recording
    (Los Angeles)
    Vanguard Studios
    (Oak Park, Michigan)
    Enterprise Studios
    (Burbank, California)
    The Record Plant
    (Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length51:32
Label
Producer
Coko chronology
Hot Coko
(1999)
Grateful
(2006)
Singles from Hot Coko
  1. "Sunshine"
    Released: 1999
  2. "Triflin'"
    Released: 1999

Hot Coko is the debut solo studio album by American rhythm and blues singer Coko. It was released by RCA Records on August 10, 1999. 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, Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Brian Alexander Morgan, whom Coko worked with while a member of SWV earlier in the decade.

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

Coko 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.[1] In a 1999 Billboard interview, Coko said that she had been unable to record solo music due to her SWV obligations.[2] Her debut studio album was recorded in various studios in California and New York.[3] Coko took more creative control of her music by co-writing songs and picking producers.[2] She co-wrote music with Rodney Jerkins who also produced songs for the album.[2][4]

Although she described hip hop music as "cool", Coko identified herself as a R&B artist.[2] She referred to the album as representing her "gospel roots" and likened her sound to Alvin and the Chipmunks with a "Coko twist".[5] 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.[2]

Composition and lyrics

Billboard's Steven J. Horowitz wrote that "Sunshine" was an "ebullient ode to a loved one".[6] Coko dedicated the song to her then three-year-old son Lil Tracy.[7] 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.[8] Recording the song with "multi-layered vocals",[8] Coko sings the lyrics: "Sunshine, sunshine / You brighten up my days / I love you always".[9] Vibe's Larry Flick likened the lyrics to a nursery rhyme, and described "Bigger Than We" and "Try-Na Come Home" as soul ballads.[9] Flick compared Coko's vocals for "Bigger Than We" to Gladys Knight, specifically due to the song's "layer rhythm-harmony arrangement".[9]

"Triflin'", featuring a rap verse from Eve, is an R&B song with hip hop influences and lyrics about a woman teasing her boyfriend.[10] The hook includes: "Ghetto / Sorry / Oh no / Tired game / And that's such a shame / ... pitiful."[9] Entertainment Weekly's Matt Diehl cited "Triflin'" and "I Ain't Feelin You" as examples of hip hop soul.[11] Flick wrote that "I Ain't Feelin You" was a "funk anthem" and referred to "Everytime" as "smooth [and] warmly romantic".[9] Coko recorded "If This World Were Mine", originally a 1967 single by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, as a duet with Tyrese.[12] Flick described the cover as a slow jam.[9] The standard edition of the album ends with "So Hard to Say Goodbye" which features backing vocals from Babyface and Kevon Edmonds.[12]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Billboard(favorable)[14]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[15]
Rolling Stone[16]
Vibe(favorable)[16]

Hot Coko was released to a generally mixed to 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." He awarded the album three out of five stars.[13] 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."[15]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
 0:40
2."Don't Take Your Love Away"Jerkins4:10
3."Sunshine"
  • Daniels
  • Gamble
  • Jerkins
Jerkins4:07
4."You and Me"
  • Daniels
  • Gamble
  • Jerkins
Jerkins4:26
5."Bigger Than We"Brian Alexander MorganMorgan4:37
6."Try-Na Come Home"
  • John Daniels
  • LaShawn Daniels
  • Gamble
J. Daniels4:28
7."Triflin'" (featuring Eve)
4:47
8."I Ain't Feelin You"
  • Daniels
  • Gamble
  • Jerkins
Jerkins4:27
9."Everytime"
  • Gamble
  • Morgan
Morgan5:07
10."All My Lovin'"
  • Daniels
  • Gamble
  • Jerkins
Jerkins5:02
11."If This World Were Mine" (featuring Tyrese)Marvin GayeMichael J. Powell5:21
12."So Hard to Say Goodbye"
  • Eric Jackson
  • Damon Thomas
Thomas4:21
EU edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."He Be Back"Elliott4:52
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."He Be Back"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
Elliott4:52
14."This Ain't Love"Laney StewartStewart4:19

Charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[17] 68
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 14

References

  1. ^ Phares, Heather. "Coko: Artist Biography by Heather Phares". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hay, Carla (July 17, 1999). "SWV's Coko Aims To Make Solo Splash". Billboard. 111 (29): 24, 28. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hot Coko: AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "Coko Breaks Down SWV Break-Up". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  5. ^ Mao, Andrea Duncan (August 24, 1999). "Coko Sounds off On Solo Debut". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  6. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. "Girl Group Solo Songs: The 10 Best (Non-Beyonce) Singles of the Modern Era". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017.
  7. ^ Marcus, Ezra (March 7, 2019). "Lil Tracy's Third Life". The Fader. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Lehmann, David (December 12, 2014). "The Noisey Guide to Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins". Noisey. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Flick, Larry (October 1999). "Hot Coko". Vibe. 7 (8): 177–178. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  10. ^ Taylor, Chuck (November 20, 1999). "Singles: Triflin'". Billboard. 111 (47): 25. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  11. ^ Diehl, Matt (August 13, 1999). "Music Review: 'Hot Coko'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Verna, Paul (August 28, 1999). "Hot Coko". Billboard. 111 (35): 26. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  13. ^ a b [1]
  14. ^ [2]
  15. ^ a b Diehl, Matt (August 13, 1999). "Music Review: 'Hot Coko'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  16. ^ a b [3]
  17. ^ "Coko Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Coko Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.