Happy 30th Anniversary to SWV’s debut album It’s About Time, originally released October 27, 1992.
One of the nineties’ defining musical phenomena was the proliferation of American female R&B groups and SWV proved to be one of the most prominent among them. A talented trio comprised of Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons, SWV joined TLC, En Vogue, and Jade, among others, in releasing one of 1992’s most memorable albums. Indeed, this was an era that was destined to be remembered and cherished forever, as was recently evidenced by the Verzuz Instagram Live battle between Xscape and SWV in May of last year.
Upon hearing their demo cassette tapes, Teddy Riley originally presented SWV to RCA Records as a gospel group. In less than two years’ time, however, SWV and RCA would go a different direction for their debut album, It’s About Time. To build momentum for the album, “Right Here” was released as the lead single in August 1992 and the following year, a remixed version featuring Michael Jackson’s vocals from his hit song “Human Nature”—not to mention a young Pharrell Williams chanting “S..., Double, U... To The V”—was unveiled and it quickly climbed to the upper reaches of various singles charts.
Written and produced by the gifted Brian Alexander Morgan (who would eventually work for artists like Usher, Missy Elliott, Faith Evans and many more), the second single “I’m So Into You” became a personal favorite of mine from the album and also became the group’s first top-ten single. If you’re on TikTok these days, you may have seen that this song has made its way back into the music world, which adds to its timeless value.
Inspired by his crush on the then up-and-coming vocalist Chanté Moore, Morgan originally wrote the album’s third single “Weak” for the Gap Band’s Charlie Wilson, but it was instead given to SWV. According to Morgan, Coko wasn’t a big fan of the song and expressed her disdain during the recording of the song. Nevertheless, it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in the summer of 1993, ending the two-month-long reign of Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes.”
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Aside from the album’s pervasive radio hits, a personal standout is “You’re Always On My Mind,” a duet between Coko and Morgan. I’ve always been a sucker for some slow-jam R&B and this song sounds like it could have been made for Teddy Riley’s group Guy. It’s a magnificently romantic ballad that I throw on my radio shows from time-to-time to give it some extra appreciation. Another highlight is the opening track and final single “Anything,” the remix of which appeared on the 1994 Above The Rim soundtrack
All in all, It’s About Time illuminates SWV’s versatility, showcases their collaborator Brian Alexander Morgan’s strong songwriting ability, and keeps the New Jack Swing vibes going strong. Although SWV arguably never topped their debut album, the enduring legacy of their recorded repertoire and impact on popular music of the 1990s remains undiminished three decades on.
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