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