On this day in 1995, Jamaican dancehall artist Patra released her sophomore album, Scent of Attraction. The album debuted at No. 151 on the Billboard 200, No. 28 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and No. 2 on the Reggae Albums chart, powered by two standout singles: the title track featuring Aaron Hall, which peaked at No. 82 on the Hot 100, and a daring remake of Grace Jones’ “Pull Up to the Bumper,” which climbed to No. 60.
William Richards, then 26 years old, was commissioned to design the cover—his first for Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, where Patra was signed. Decades later, he still remembers his frustration with the final output.
“I didn’t have much input,” Richards told World Music Views. “They chose images I didn’t like. They painted her lips red in a black-and-white image, which I thought was extremely tacky—even in the ’90s. Who does that?”
Cover art critiques aside, Scent of Attraction still holds the distinction of being the last full-length dancehall album by a female artist to appear on the Billboard 200.
The production on the album include The Characters—Troy Taylor and Charles Farrar—alongside Clifton “Specialist” Dillon for the title track, with songwriting contributions from Taylor, Farrar, Hall, Erroll Dillon, and Patra herself. Engineering was handled by Mario Rodriguez and Joe Pirrera, with Martin Czemeor assisting on mixing. The album’s executive producers were Dillon and Patra, credited as her real name Dorothy Smith, with Vivian L. Scott providing A&R direction.
The tracklist of mid-’90s urban sounds, was filtered through dancehall lens. “Pull Up to the Bumper,” produced by Dillon, reimagines Grace Jones’ classic with vocals by Tawatha. That track also spent two weeks on the UK Official Albums Chart and peaked at No. 50. “Dip & Fall Back,” produced by David Kennedy, stays closer to Patra’s dancehall roots, while “Hot Stuff” pairs her with Salt-N-Pepa over a Hurby Luv Bug beat. Salaam Remi, known for his reggae-hip hop fusions, helmed three cuts: “Banana,” “Time Fi Wine,” and “Goin’ 2 The Chapel,” the latter co-produced with Eddison Electrik.
Dillon returned for “Either Or Either” and “You Want It” (featuring Prince Mydas), while “Mek Me Hot” was co-produced with Tony Kelly, who also handled the closing track “Deep Inside.” “Undercover Lover,” produced by Danish duo Soulshock & Karlin, added a polished international R&B touch to the album’s sonic palette.
Though Patra would go on to release several more albums—including The Great Escape in 2003 and Patra: The Continuation in 2014—she never repeated the commercial impact of Scent of Attraction and het debut Queen Of The Pack (1993).
