Coco Jones

By Christal Jordan-Mims

If you were to take the sass of Salt-n-Pepa, the social consciousness of Lauren Hill, lyrical prose of Jill Scott, elegance from of all four original En Vogue divas and the ingenuity of Missy Elliot, add to it a youthful perspective and sex-kittenish good looks, you would have created hip hop’s newest soul sistah Coco Jones.

Being compared to some of her musical sheroes may seem a bit overwhelming for the fresh-faced twenty-three year old, but Coco’s self-titled debut manages to pull from the best of hip hop’s most memorable divas.

From her ode to musical icons like Billie Holiday, Betty White, Aretha Franklin and Smoky Robinson, to her funky remake of ‘Me & Mrs. Jones, Coco relies heavily on a musical legacy that easily includes jazz, hip hop, and rhythm and blues spanning back much further than her twenty three years. She takes this legacy and effortlessly forges it with her own interpretation of today’s track-driven hip hop. Besides her respect for old-school musical icons, Coco is quick to voice her admiration for her influences of today such as Kanye West and John Legend.

While much of the album fuses 60’s and 70’s old school with Coco’s signature blend of hip hop, soul and even a touch of reggae, other tracks could be straight off the latest R&B songstress’ album (‘I’ve got a love Jones’, ‘Let’s take the long way Home’), and just when you think you’ve pegged her, Coco mixes it up and showcases her emcee skills flowing through street-driven hip hop tracks peppered with clever lyrics and a sassy flow.

Her label describes her sound as a bridge between hip hop and urban soul, but Coco Jones’ debut offers much more. Her passionate vocals can be compared to breakout songbird Keisha Cole, but its also apparent Coco is just as comfortable and equally formidable spitting her brand of socially enlightened lyrics.

Despite having critics scrambling to place her in a category, Coco refers to her music simply as “feel good music”, adding only that she wants to be a part of bringing the soul back to contemporary music.

With her debut produced entirely by up and coming producer Roahn Hylton of Firstborn Productions, Coco manages to avoid the copycat syndrome many first time artists fall victim to, with producers trying to piggyback on the sound of another successful artist’s sound. Whether blowing on a soulful ballad, “sanging” from the heart on an R&B track, or handling the mic like a pro on a hip hop joint Coco Jones is on point. Every song on the album offers a unique unduplicated sound and Coco easily moves from genre to genre with a deep soulfulness and vocal range that provide a consistency throughout the album.

With over twenty years of musical influences, Coco’s debut presents a perfect hybrid of the best of the past, present and future. No doubt before long, Coco will be added to the same list of musical legends she has drawn so much inspiration from.
- Down Magazine