By: Jamaica Gleaner

Thursday January 27,

R&B sensation SWV are set to rock the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival stage a potent blend of sassy and soulful blast from the past, come tomorrow night!

The Gleaner caught up with the trio's lead singer, Coko, via a phone interview. According to Coko, the group was elated to be given the opportunity to perform in front of what is expected to be a massive crowd at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium.

"I'm excited. I'm happy to be coming to Jamaica. We need that right now," said Coko, whose real name is Cheryl Gamble. "The last time that we were in Jamaica was many, many years ago."

Coko said that she had never heard of the show prior to the their invitation, but she was sure it was going to be a big one.

"I did hear that Diana Ross was there one year, and there were tons of people out there, so I'm excited about that," she said.

SWV, which stands for Sisters With Voice, got their big break on the music scene in 1992. Besides Coko, the two other members are Leanne 'Lelee' Lyon and Tamara 'Taj' Johnson.

The sweet-singing songstresses have produced billboard hits such asRight Here, I'm So Into You, Weak and a host of other smash hits.

Lots of fun, hype

"Fans can come out expecting to see us singing our hits, having a good time and being hyped! Just good music from the '90s!" Coko said.

Coko, who is also a big fan of the show's headliners, Maroon 5, said she was looking forward to their performance as well.

"I heard that Maroon 5 is gonna be out there. That'll be exciting. I'd like to see them. I like them a lot," she said gleefully.

As it relates to the drastic change that R&B has undergone over the years, Coko told The Gleaner that the R&B of today is more 'popish'.

"It's really changed. It's way different from when we were out. I don't know whatchu call it now, but it's very different. So, we're just hoping to come back out and add some more old-school flavoured, R&B with the good vocals, good music and good vibe. We want to bring some of that back because a lot of it is missing right now."

In the coming years, Coko hopes that the trio, having regrouped in 2005 after they had disbanded in 1999 due to personal differences, will continue making good music.

"For us, it's just love right now. We've been working steadily since we got back together. We just want to create more music, more great music, just having fun and taking our career to the next level," she said.

"We do have some new songs that we've been recording, and we are about to record some more new songs in the coming weeks."

According to Coko, the group's modus operandi is to produce a lot of energy onstage by dancing and getting others to dance along with them.

"We love to interact with our audience, have people come up and dance with us. So, we just hope that everybody is ready for all a dat," Coko explained.