Hot Coko is the debut solo studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Coko of R&B female trio SWV, released on August 10, 1999 in North America by RCA. Hot Coko serves as the singer's debut effort following the release of SWV's third albumRelease Some Tension, which led towards the group's first disbandment in 1998. Guest appearances on the album are made by rapper Eve and R&B singer Tyrese. The album 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 Billboard 200 chart and received mixed to positive reviews upon its release, and spawned two singles that found minimal Billboard chart success, with its lead single "Sunshine", reaching the lower ranks of the US BillboardHot 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
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. In a 1999 Billboard interview, Coko said that she had been unable to record solo music due to her SWV obligations. Her debut studio album was recorded in various studios in California and New York. Coko took more creative control of her music by co-writing songs and picking producers. She co-wrote music with Rodney Jerkins who also produced songs for the album. Although she described hip hop music as "cool", Coko identified herself as a R&B artist. She referred to the album as representing her "gospel roots" and likened her sound to Alvin and the Chipmunks with a "Coko twist". 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.
Composition and lyrics
's Steven J. Horowitz wrote that "Sunshine" was an "ebullient ode to a loved one". Coko dedicated the song to her then three-year-old son Lil Tracy. 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. Recording the song with "multi-layered vocals", Coko sings the lyrics: "Sunshine, sunshine / You brighten up my days / I love you always". Vibe's Larry Flick likened the lyrics to a nursery rhyme, and described "Bigger Than We" and "Try-Na Come Home" as soul ballads. Flick compared Coko's vocals for "Bigger Than We" to Gladys Knight, specifically due to the song's "layer rhythm-harmony arrangement". "Triflin'", featuring a rap verse from Eve, is an R&B song with hip hop influences and lyrics about a woman teasing her boyfriend. The hook includes: "Ghetto / Sorry / Oh no / Tired game / And that's such a shame /... pitiful." Entertainment Weekly's Matt Diehl cited "Triflin'" and "I Ain't Feelin You" as examples of hip hop soul. Flick wrote that "I Ain't Feelin You" was a "funk anthem" and referred to "Everytime" as "smooth warmly romantic". Coko recorded "If This World Were Mine", originally a 1967 single by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, as a duet with Tyrese. Flick described the cover as a slow jam. The standard edition of the album ends with "So Hard to Say Goodbye" which features backing vocals from Babyface and Kevon Edmonds.
Reception
Despite poor initial sales, Hot Coko was released to positive reception. Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that " isn't the most charismatic singer, but she is blessed with a strong voice that sounds very inviting when placed in the right settings." and awarded the album three out of five stars.
