Kofy Brown's has been delivering fusion of Motown, Stax and Tamla soul with the headnod beats of hip hop and jazz for a few years now. It's safe to say, she was "neo" when everybody else was just soul. If you know Kofy, you'll know not to expect references to ice, Cristal, Lex's or Beemers. But what you will get are her observations on love & life. Her arrangements and lyrics are the fusion of her understanding and love of many different forms of music, and as such, definitely do not appeal to everyone. The organic soul of Kofy first attracted me through her 2001 album "Area 32" and any of you who still have to get hold of "Skinny & Tight", "Live & Delicious" or "Hungry" will probably be keen to do so after listening to "Love Warrior". Independant soul that lacks the glitz and marketing ploys of contemporaries. This is music for the love of it. The track listings aren't PC friendly, and the website seems to only work when it feels like....but that adds to the appeal of Kofy for me. There's not so much "rage against the system" in this project. Still poignant, socially enlightening, but also in some way softer. "Love Warrior" is a pseudo instrumental jazz-funk track that sounds like the theme tune of a 70's blaxploitation movie. Pimps, flares, afro's and large cars come to mind immediately. But at only 1:23 is probably best referred to as an interlude. Any of you checking out our "Soul Nouveau" vibe will be familiar with "Wanna Luv You". And judging by the feedback, you love it as much as I do. This is just an excellent tune, laid back and full to the brim of real instruments, real passion and real quality. And after one killer tune comes another. "Fly Away" is more along the lines of her own distinctive poetry to music. An anthem for anyone who just feels the urge to get away from all the crap in their lives. “I Like It “ funks it up a whole heap. This deep and moody vibe is an absolute killer of the senses. It takes a long time before you hear any verses, buts that only noticeable if you’re trying to write a review. Simple lyrics, classy beats and luscious melodies are woven together for a delightful musical tapestry. “Keep On Movin’” is more in line with what some would call is traditional Kofy Brown. Jazzy, vibes with insightful poetic raps and soulful tones. An absolute gem of a track. Musically similar to “Ya Don’t Stop”…but that’s not a bad thing. When you first hear the bass-line of “Walkin Out Of Time” you immediately start to nod your head. Then the beats kick in, and you start to bounce. A throwback to 70’s soul this is wonderful stuff. I won’t say much more about it…I’ll let you experience it for yourselves. At 7:47 it’s a long track….but it’s true what they say about time flying. Now it wouldn’t be a Kofy album if there wasn’t at least one tune you’d struggle to wrap your head around. And in this case it’s “#57” an instrumental jazz-funk trip that has very subtle changes in chords that are almost unnoticeable. But it’s a short track, so you’ll live through it. “Mind Travelin” resumes the jazzy, mellow vibe. Organic, free-flowing poetry subtly flavours this mind trip. A definite for those who like to get deep into the lyrics. “All She Could Say” is as close as this comes to contemporary R&B. And is an excellent tune. A few people have asked about it, thinking the title is “Does He Really Love Me”…so don’t be fooled. “Just A Woman” is another nice track, though not really much to say about it. “Battle 4 Love” is another instrumental interlude. And then we come across “Alright” and this is a lot better than alright. This is absolutely awesome. Soulful and harmonious, just tune in and chill out. “Make Fun” is loud and funky . “Yesterdays Dream” is a short interlude, and “Erotik” was originally on “Area 32”, sweet and melodic. It was one of my favourites off that album as well. Then something strange happens. There’s 17 seconds of silence where 4 invisible tracks take up space….and a mystery track appears. It’s not on the track listing on the cover and is wonderful. It would be a brave person to hazard a guess as to a title…but I had to call it something…so I’ve decided on “Just Another Day”. Wonderfully original and as soulful as it comes this is defintiely the Real deal from the Real Kofy Brown. Overall...Is It Funky?....Or Is It Junky? Funky...For Real Added: June 24th 2004 Reviewer: Alfie Da FunkJunky Score: Related Link: Home Page Hits: 20 Language:

Kofy Brown - Love Warrior Gepubliceerd op maandag 09 augustus 2004 Nu zwarte muziek populairder is dan ooit te voren, en ook nu soul over de toonbank vliegt, is het eigenlijk opmerkelijk dat Kofy Brown nog zo onbekend is. Ze is geen nieuwkomer; Love Warrior (Simba Music/Bertus) is alweer het zesde album van de uit Oakland, Californië afkomstige zangeres. Bovendien heeft ze een uitstekende live-reputatie, die ze een jaar of zes geleden al bewees op North Sea Jazz. En de obscuriteit is geheel onverdiend, afgaande op Love Warrior. Het album is zo’n beetje de natte droom van de soulliefhebber die verlangt naar de muzikaliteit uit de jaren ’60 en ’70, maar voor wie zelfs de betere nu soul releases nog niet voldoende bevrediging bieden. De kracht van Love Warrior is de spontaniteit en de onbevangenheid. Brown gooit onbekommerd de remmen los, bezingt de liefde maar bekritiseert ook president Bush en zijn oorlogszucht. Maar in tegenstelling tot haar collega Erykah Badu wordt Brown niet zwaar op de hand, het feest komt op nummer 1. De grote forte van Love Warrior is de rauwe en organische opnamekwaliteit. Het album klinkt alsof het live is opgenomen, en lijkt nauwelijks afgemixt te zijn. Zo valt de bas er af en toe lomp in, wat de muziek een enorme dynamiek en energie geeft. Je vraagt je af waarom dit niet vaker zo wordt gedaan. Maar je vraagt je ook af waarom je Kofy Brown nog niet kende, want Love Warrior is het nu soul album waar de wereld op zat te wachten. Peter Schong

Just wanted to say I really love this CD! A friend gave this to me and said check it out. The music reminds me a little of the 70's music. I'm a big fan of Curtis Mayfield & Rufus and Chaka Kahn, this sound is more like those artist than the newer stuff. I would recommend buying this CD if you like real instruments and good vocals with interesting lyrics.