A New Caliber—Coco Jones’s “What I Didn’t Tell You” Review

Seeing your favorite child star transition from bubblegum pop to a more grown, mature sound is usually scary, but that’s obviously not the case for Coco Jones. Just when we thought we couldn’t get enough of her, from the likes of Disney’s Let it Shine, and, recently, Peacock’s
BEL-AIR, Jones bestows upon us easily one of the best music projects of 2022. Her new EP, What I Didn’t Tell You, released on November 4th, is a sultry and bonafide R&B manifesto.
Jones kicks off the EP with an automatically catchy and danceable “Headline,” where she warns her lover of playing with her emotions or else they would end up as a “headline” as a result. Old school synths and modern R&B production speckle this track, giving it all sorts of color and flare. Jones then spices it up with the seductive “Caliber”—a highlight of the album. It sounds expensive, it sounds rich. It sounds like black excellence is oozing off of every 808 in this track.
If 2000s R&B, 1920s jazz, and 21st century Trap had a great-great-great grandsong, it would be “Caliber” by Coco Jones.
“Crazy for Me” speeds things up a little. Jones speaks of her strategies in the game of cat and
mouse between her and her lover, stating “no text back, imma make him read my mind,” and “I’m dangerous, I’m different.” Jones knows her worth, and she’s adding tax. “Double Back” is the next track, interpolating a sample from TLC’s “Rain.” It’s a song about not being able to leave a situationship alone, no matter how much Jones tries. There is a smooth production with an even smoother, cashmere-like delivery from Jone’s vocals. It’s safe to say she does the sample justice. “ICU” is rightfully a centerpiece of this body of work. The harmonies in the opening sound like the angels at the opening of Heaven’s gates. Everything from the soft piano in the background to the ethereal tone of Jones’s voice hits you all at once in the best way. The singer and actress sings of needing her partner so badly that she has visions of them even when they are separated.If this isn’t Grammy winning recording quality, I’m not sure what is. Jones ends her EP with the two upbeat tracks “No Chaser” and “Spend It”—lighthearted bops about the different ways Jones receives and exchanges love in her relationships. The songs are relatable, fun, and bound to be added to “Late Night” playlists everywhere.
A well-rounded, high vibrational body of R&B emerges from the charismatic and lovable Coco
Jones. If this is how her EP sounds, I’ll be the first in line for the album. Clearly, the “What I Didn’t Tell You” songstress has a lot more to say, and we’ll be readily listening.