Music Review • 30 years ago this month, SWV hit the 1992 scene giving the girlies a run for their money! Releasing 6 singles that showed that vocally they weren’t to be played with, SWV left us with some timeless hits in 1992. I know it’s early, but with 6 hot singles back to back like that, this would for sure be considered SWV’s greatest album.
One of their biggest hits “Right Here (Human Nature Remix)” was actually a song the ladies didn’t like when they first heard it. They thought it was boring & wouldn’t’ be a hit, & I think seven weeks at number 1 on Billboard changed their mind. With the production from Teddy Riley & a young Pharrell singing the “S…W…V” throughout the record, it’s one of SWV’s most popular hits. The groups greatest hit has to be “Weak” a song originally written for Charlie Wilson. Coko wasn’t a fan of the song originally & gave the producer Brian Alexander Morgan attitude while recording. Yet, here we are 30 years later still getting weak in the knees. The song is a certified classic, not just in the black community but worldwide.Â
One of my favorite singles released was “You’re Always On My Mind”. The harmonies are so R&B that they feel like butter. The finger snapping in the background is so underrated. Bring back the finger snapping in records so we can start falling in love again. The single “Downtown” was one of those I’m sure 90% of us shouldn’t have been singing because we didn’t even know what they were talking about. Oh but as full grown adults, we all know exactly what they are speaking of. When Coko was doing her gospel records she refused to sing this live with the group. So it took years for them to add “Downtown” on the set list.
I think it’s safe to say that every remix of SWV is always better than the original. When “Anything (remix)” hit the airways, they gave us another house party hit. Featured on the “Above the Rim” soundtrack, this record gave SWV their 5th top 40 hit. Another up-tempo hit “I’m So Into You” gave us another R&B with hip hop production. Every time I hear this record I always think of those leather fits they had in the video. Lowkey, those could easily come back in style today & the gworls would kill it.
Outside of the timeless singles released, there were some B-sides that were pretty good too. “That’s What I Need” & “It’s About Time” gave me “The Quiet Storm” vibes after 7pm on the radio. This album is probably the first album that had all the singles listed back to back. They said we going to give you this heat off top so you know what we bringing. SWV gave us a classic album in 92 & they don’t owe us nothing.Â
