This page contains reviews from critics all of the industry for the albums SWV have released. If you have any thing to contribute or any questions, please email me.
Amazon on It's About Time:
Once En Vogue proved that old-fashioned gospel-soul female harmonies could create sparks with modern street beats, every record company went looking for young singers to hook up with new-jack-swing producers. Those efforts bear fruit with SWV, which stands for Sisters with Voices, and the three teenaged singers from New York really do have great pipes, capable of a distinctive sound that can dominate a production rather than the other way around. Cheryl "Coko" Gordon, the trio's lead singer, boasts a great range that allows her to sound tough and sultry in her gritty alto, and romantic and flirty in her trilling soprano. SWV's debut album includes 13 different songs, plus two alternate mixes, and the best tracks are the 10 written and produced by Brian Alexander Morgan, who knows how to create the melodies that all great harmonies must start with. The first single, "Right Here," features a very funky, push-and-pull rhythm track, but the three singers reclaim the song with harmonies that are very percussive themselves but with lots of melody and romantic personality as well. The single, "Weak," is a ballad that allows Gordon to confess her infatuated weakness without ever sounding like a weakling as she hits the beats confidently and purrs in anticipation. --Geoffrey Himes
Grade/Score: No Grade/Score Given
CDNow on New Beginning:
Sisters With Voices (Cheryl "Coko" Gamble, LeAnne "Lelee" Lyons, Tamara "Taj" Johnson) blew up the spot with their 1993 self-titled debut. Best known for utilizing a Michael Jackson sample on their smash "Right Here, Right Now" and their club floor anthem with the WuTang Clan, "Anything" (one of the pioneering efforts of the now tired R & B artist-meets-hip-hop collaborations), the group made a surprisingly sudden rise to the top. Now, three years later, the platinum-plus trio returns with a new attitude and a new album, New Beginning. The disc's first single, "You're The One," has irked some because of its pro-infidelity stance: "What your girl don't know won't hurt her," coos lead vocalist Coko on this seductive, jeep-ready jam. On most of the songs she sisters come off somewhat desperate - I guess these ladies haven't had the best experiences with men. They sound heartbroken, begging for attention on "Whatcha Need" ("I'm whatcha need why can't you see") and "Fine Time" ("You picked a fine time so tell me you don't love me"). Equally troubling is the inclusion of too many boring mid-tempo ballads, such as "You Are My Love" and "I'm So In Love," which reveal that SWV are clearly not the world's best singers. Their forays with rappers are also ineffective: Erick Sermon and Digable Planets' Butterfly (who is Coko's baby's father) on "On And On" and "That's What I'm Here For," respectively. "What's Is Gonna Be" is New Beginning's one shining moment. With an acoustic guitar backdrop that would make Babyface proud, Coko, Lelee and Taj are finally fed up and threaten so leave if their man refuses so commit so a relationship. Now even I can exhale. You go, girls!
Grade/Score: No Grade/Score Given
E! Online on Release Some Tension:
In R&B, standing still is the kiss of death. Luckily for the ladies of SWV, they've surged ahead into unknown territory on their third album, subtly adding contemporary hip-hop styles to the mix. They've also collaborated with a collection of leading producers and rappers, creating trippy, acid-jazzy cuts like the sultry "Can We" and the puzzling title track. The first single, "Someone," pairs the trio effectively with Sean "Puffy" Combs, but his rap is easily outdone by E-40's hyper declamations on the bizarrely funky "Come and Get Some." All in all, sexiness hasn't sounded this strange in ages.
Once En Vogue proved that old-fashioned gospel-soul female harmonies could create sparks with modern street beats, every record company went looking for young singers to hook up with new-jack-swing producers. Those efforts bear fruit with SWV, which stands for Sisters with Voices, and the three teenaged singers from New York really do have great pipes, capable of a distinctive sound that can dominate a production rather than the other way around. Cheryl "Coko" Gordon, the trio's lead singer, boasts a great range that allows her to sound tough and sultry in her gritty alto, and romantic and flirty in her trilling soprano. SWV's debut album includes 13 different songs, plus two alternate mixes, and the best tracks are the 10 written and produced by Brian Alexander Morgan, who knows how to create the melodies that all great harmonies must start with. The first single, "Right Here," features a very funky, push-and-pull rhythm track, but the three singers reclaim the song with harmonies that are very percussive themselves but with lots of melody and romantic personality as well. The single, "Weak," is a ballad that allows Gordon to confess her infatuated weakness without ever sounding like a weakling as she hits the beats confidently and purrs in anticipation. --Geoffrey Himes
Sisters With Voices (Cheryl "Coko" Gamble, LeAnne "Lelee" Lyons, Tamara "Taj" Johnson) blew up the spot with their 1993 self-titled debut. Best known for utilizing a Michael Jackson sample on their smash "Right Here, Right Now" and their club floor anthem with the WuTang Clan, "Anything" (one of the pioneering efforts of the now tired R & B artist-meets-hip-hop collaborations), the group made a surprisingly sudden rise to the top. Now, three years later, the platinum-plus trio returns with a new attitude and a new album, New Beginning. The disc's first single, "You're The One," has irked some because of its pro-infidelity stance: "What your girl don't know won't hurt her," coos lead vocalist Coko on this seductive, jeep-ready jam. On most of the songs she sisters come off somewhat desperate - I guess these ladies haven't had the best experiences with men. They sound heartbroken, begging for attention on "Whatcha Need" ("I'm whatcha need why can't you see") and "Fine Time" ("You picked a fine time so tell me you don't love me"). Equally troubling is the inclusion of too many boring mid-tempo ballads, such as "You Are My Love" and "I'm So In Love," which reveal that SWV are clearly not the world's best singers. Their forays with rappers are also ineffective: Erick Sermon and Digable Planets' Butterfly (who is Coko's baby's father) on "On And On" and "That's What I'm Here For," respectively. "What's Is Gonna Be" is New Beginning's one shining moment. With an acoustic guitar backdrop that would make Babyface proud, Coko, Lelee and Taj are finally fed up and threaten so leave if their man refuses so commit so a relationship. Now even I can exhale. You go, girls!
In R&B, standing still is the kiss of death. Luckily for the ladies of SWV, they've surged ahead into unknown territory on their third album, subtly adding contemporary hip-hop styles to the mix. They've also collaborated with a collection of leading producers and rappers, creating trippy, acid-jazzy cuts like the sultry "Can We" and the puzzling title track. The first single, "Someone," pairs the trio effectively with Sean "Puffy" Combs, but his rap is easily outdone by E-40's hyper declamations on the bizarrely funky "Come and Get Some." All in all, sexiness hasn't sounded this strange in ages.
