A former member of British lovers rock trio Brown Sugar (along with former Soul II Soul member Caron Wheeler), Kofi emerges on her own here with a confident, crisp lovers album.

This is how lovers rock should be done: the music (courtesy of Mad Professor) is buttery smooth, Kofi's vocals are similarly mellow -- yet with a sultry power that demands your attention -- and the melodies are supple enough to fit into any R&B radio station's nightly "Quiet Storm" programming. Unlike some lovers rock, the material here never treads into the pop realm to a disgusting degree (although there is an R&B remake of Midnight Star's classic "Curious."). But her lyrics don't always stick to pure lovers content.

"Big John," for instance, is a poignant tale of a sympathetic killer, while "Black Pride" focuses on, well, black pride. Nevertheless, Kofi's soothing lovers style is consistent, no matter what the lyrical content. Along with the previously mentioned tracks, "There Must Be," "Didn't I," and "Reggae Starship" are especially strong, but all of the cuts on Black...With Sugar come together to set a mood that is hard to resist.