Monifah Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Monifah's second album, 1998's Mo'hogany, featured the biggest hit of her career thus far, the infectious Top Ten pop hit "Touch It," which sampled Laid Back's mid-1980s hit "White Horse." The supposedly titillating song, whose video made it come off as more campy than anything else, broadened her audience to include dancefloor fanatics and popsters, but, despite the attention, the album failed to produce another substantial hit. Mo'hogany does incorporate a wide spectrum of sounds and styles, including rock & roll on the awkwardly titled "Monifah's Anthem/Bad Girl" and "Why," plenty of R&B ballads (of which most are lumped together in the middle of the album, weighing it down considerably) including the album highlights "Suga Suga" and the string-enhanced "Have You Ever Been Loved," irresistible funk on the album's best track, the bouncy "What's The Deal," hip-hop/soul on "Whatcha Gonna Do," and gospel on "I'm Loving You," a track while truly allows Monifah's vocals to shine. Despite some dull moments and less-than-inspired lyrics, Mo'hogany winds up being a decent and relatively enjoyable album. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide
'Moods...Moments'
Release Date 3/26/1996
Tracks 15
Label Uptown/Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Monifah's rich voice is the first thing you notice on her debut album, Moods ... Moments, and it's the thing that keeps the album afloat through its occasional dull spots. Where most of her mid-'90s urban soul contemporaries are hell-bent on demonstrating their technical prowess, Monifah lays back and lets the music build, texturing her vocals with a variety of different shades and styles. She can be jazzy or she can be soulful, she can belt out an uptempo number or croon a love ballad -- it's clear that she has the gift. And, for the most part, producer Heavy D provides her with enough first-rate songs to make sure that we not only notice the gift, but that we don't forget it once the album is through, either. Although it would be nice to hear what Monifah could contribute to the songwriting, Heavy D's songs are varied and soulful, giving her a proper showcase for her prodigous talents. Moods ... Moments does have a handful of weak songs and could have benefitted from some trimming, but that doesn't prevent the album from being a simply stellar debut. ~ Leo Stanley, All Music Guide
