Artist: SWV
Genre: R&B
(EQ Music)
Reviewer: KENNETH CHAW

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AFTER a long 15-year hiatus from the music industry, fans of SWV were not sure if the R&B divas would ever be back. Well, make no mistake, these ladies are indeed back and they have a brand new album – I Missed Us – to show for.

Sisters With Voices (SWV) played a pivotal role in triggering the emergence of future girl groups like Destiny’s Child. The group – comprising Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George, Cheryl “Coko” Clemons and Leanne “Lelee” Lyon – shot to fame in 1992 when its debut album It’s About Time was certified triple platinum after selling more than three million copies.

Hits like Right Here, Weak and You’re The One quickly come to mind for music listeners who grew up in the 1990s. But despite the trio’s remarkable success, five years down the road, and two albums later, these “sisters” lost their voices and disbanded.

In I Missed Us, the trio picks up where its third album, Release Some Tension, left off all those years back, but this time, emanating a significantly more mature look and feel. Looking at the album cover alone, SWV has (thankfully) traded its 1990s midriff-baring ensembles for classy, understated, age-appropriate frocks.

What’s more, the ladies sound just as good as they look. The album kicks off with two strong tracks, Co-Sign and All About You, dropping some catchy contemporary dance beats, but never to the extent of drowning the divas’ soulful quality (something many of today’s R&B artistes ought to learn).

But if SWV’s signature sweet harmonies are what listeners are looking for, they can find it in Everything I Love and Love Unconditionally, as the group skilfully delivers the routine “oohs” and “aahs”. The album literally ends on a high when Coko belts out a couple of spine-chilling notes in If You Only Knew, making a bold statement that not only is SWV back, it’s here to stay.

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