Search - Deborah Cox :: One Wish

Underrated Classic...

Brandon A. Coles | Orangeburg, SC USA | 08/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Deborah Cox's "One Wish" can easily be dubbed a sleeper but in my opinion, she shows no signs of weariness on this album. "One Wish" is an album that is perfectly punctuated with depth and has an intricate way of maintaining the listener's interest. With a unique and cohesive array of diversity, which include writing and production from herself, Naughty By Nature & Next's producer Kier Gist (a.k.a. KayGee), hit-makers Montell Jordan, Shep Crawford, Stevie J., Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins," and even Diane Warren, who lends the schmaltzy ballad, "One Day You Will," "One Wish" explores love and relationships from a deeper perspective. I love how she uses her voice to not only dazzle the audience, but also becomes one with each songs' persona. I was like, "I may be a male, but even I can relate to how expressive she is!" The Dance-fused "September," with its keen bass line, slickly synthesized guitars and eclectic rhythms tells the story of how a friendship transforms from a platonic nature to an emotional thrill ride of sensuous lovemaking, whereas "We Can't Be Friends" showcases Deborah & R.L. (of Next) passionately and vividly testifying the hardships of walking away from a special someone. Other cuts include 1998's longest-running radio single, "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here," (penned exquisitely by Montell Jordan) her second single, "It's Over Now," (produced by KayGee) the title-track, "One Wish," which features DJ Quik's solid production and stellar rap vocals, Darkchild's "Just When I Think I'm Over You," a clever reference to Rod Temperton & Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" in "Love Is On The Way" and the smooth "I Won't Give Up." The only flaw to this record is that there were one too many dance versions included. The remixes to "Things Just Ain't The Same" & "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here" could have been omitted. Regardless, "One Wish" is a fabulous record that was an absolutely underrated classic."