Koffee Brown are an American R&B and neo-soul duo consisting of male singer Ryan Lane and female singer Vernell "Vee" Sales.
Originally consisted of Falonte "Fonz" Moore alongside Vee, they were discovered by music producer Kay Gee and RL of Next, and were signed to Arista Records. They are best known for their songs "After Party", and "Weekend Thing".
Mars/Venus is the only studio album by American contemporary R&B duo Koffee Brown.
It was released on March 6, 2001 through Arista Records. Recording sessions took place at Battery Studios in New York and at Da Mill Studios and Head Up Recording in New Jersey.
Production was handled by DJ Kay Gee, Falonte Moore, Eddie Berkeley, Chris Liggio, Darren Lighty, Rob Fusari, Aarian Pope, AllStar, Barry Salter, muMs and The Bankers.
It features guest appearances from Duganz Shanlont, Brandon "B-12" Daniel, Lady Luck, Balewa Muhammad, Lil' Mo, Mr. Deyo, Next and Que.
Male/female duo Koffee Brown's vibe is reminiscent of the catchy '80s music of Slave spin-off Aurra ("In the Mood to Groove"). Their debut album, Mars/Venus, is full of cool hip-hop dance tracks and very funny skit-based interludes.
As the title implies, the basis of most of the songs is the difference of the sexes. Their mid-tempo breakout single, "After Party," zoomed up the charts in early spring 2001.
A worthy follow-up would be the similar "Weekend Thing," which sports a percolating riff like the one found on Herb Alpert's "Rotation." A propulsive bass boosts "Quickie" that's good for both dancing and bedroom bopping.
The "B" word is the subject of "I Got Love (Scars)." Other standouts are the "who's foolin' who" themed "Fingerpointing" and "Blackout."
In spite of the conflict heard on earlier tracks, one of Mars/Venus' final tracks is the gentle, hopeful, and conciliatory "Do U See."
The album was a moderate success, reaching number 32 on the US Billboard 200.
Track listing
1. Intro - 0:25
Producer – Falonte Moore, Kay Gee, Rob Fusari
2. Weekend Thing - 3:23
Featuring – B-12
Producer – Darren Lighty, Kay Gee
3. After Party - 3:34
4. Didn't Mean To Turn You On - 4:13
Featuring – Du-Ganz
Producer – Kay Gee, The Bankers
5. Chick On Da Side - 3:56
Backing Vocals – Balewa Muhammed
Producer – Falonte Moore, Kay Gee
6. Fingerpointing - 4:24
Producer – Falonte Moore, Rob Fusari
7. Blackout - 4:02
Featuring – Lady Luck
Producer – Eddie Berkeley, Kay Gee
8. All I Need (Bonnie & Clyde) - 3:36
9. All Those Fancy Things - 3:34
10. Quickie - 3:54
Backing Vocals – Balewa Muhammed
Producer – Chris Liggio, Kay Gee
11. The View (Interlude) - 1:46
Producer – Kay Gee
12. I Got Love (Scars) - 3:07
Backing Vocals – Mr. Deyo
Producer – Chris Liggio
13. Hater's Disease - 4:13
Producer – Falonte Moore, Kay Gee
14. Qualified - 3:52
Producer – Eddie Berkeley, Kay Gee
15. Mars / Venus (Interlude) - 1:12
Producer – Aarian Pope, Kay Gee, Mums
16. Do U See - 3:48
Producer – Darren Lighty, Kay Gee
Personnel
- Vernell "Vee" Sales – vocals
- Falonte "Fonz" Moore – vocals, producer (tracks: 1, 5, 6, 13)
- Brandon "B-12" Daniel – vocals (track 2)
- Next – additional backing vocals (track 3)
- Que – additional backing vocals (track 3)
- Duganz Shanlont – vocals (tracks: 4, 8)
- Balewa Muhammad – backing vocals (tracks: 5, 8, 10)
- Shanell "Lady Luck" Jones – vocals (track 7)
- Cynthia "Lil' Mo" Loving – backing vocals (track 9)
- Cliff Lighty – backing vocals (track 10)
- Andre Deyo – backing vocals (track 12)
- Frank Romano – guitar (track 10)
- Eddie Kuri – additional guitar (track 12)
- Keir "DJ KayGee" Gist – producer (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13-16)
- Rob Fusari – producer (tracks: 1, 6)
- Darren Lighty – producer (tracks: 2, 16)
- Allen "Allstar" Gordon – producer (track 3)
- The Bankers – producers (track 4)
- Eddie Berkeley – producer (tracks: 7, 8, 14)
- Barry Salter – producer (track 9)
- Chris Liggio – producer (tracks: 10, 12)
- muMs – producer (track 15)
- Aarian Pope – producer (track 15)
- Teron Beal – vocal producer (track 3)
- Jules Bartholomew – co-producer (track 9)
- Andy Blakelock – engineering, mixing
- Adam Kudzin – engineering, mixing
- Angelo Quaglia – engineering
- Eric Schlotzer – engineering
- Shane Stoneback – engineering
- Dave Kutch – mastering
- Christopher Stern – art direction
Companies, etc.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Arista Records, Inc.
- Copyright © – Arista Records, Inc.
- Distributed By – BMG
- Recorded At – Da Mill Studios
- Recorded At – Battery Studios, New York
- Mixed At – Battery Studios, New York
- Mixed At – Kampo Studios
- Mixed At – Soundtrack Studios
- Mastered At – Absolute Audio, N.Y.C.
- Made By – Sonopress – A-51365
Notes
Released: March 6, 2001
Recorded: 1999–2000 Studio Battery Studios (New York) / Da Mill Studios (New Jersey) / Head Up Recording (New Jersey)
Genre: R&B, Neo Soul
Length: 52:59
Label - Arista
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