Album Notes

THIS IS WHERE ANGELA JOHNSON , TORTURED SOUL , TICKLAH and CHRISTIAN URICH BEGAN.

Formed as a quartet at the State University of New York, Cooly's has built up a regional following over the past half decade. In 2002 they released their debut, Take It, a wonderful piece of dance and rhythmic jazz that sounded like a modernized Heatwave with jazzier underpinnings. Ulrich set the tone for the disc, with cool arrangements and beats that gave dance club credibility, and Johnson's bright vocals (think of a more soulful Jody Watley) made the well-written songs memorable front to back. Cuts like "Friend of Mine," "What a Surprise," the Soul 2 Soul-like "Simple," and the smooth ballad "14 Hours" were top notch musically and vocally.