The Spanish town singer, Koffee, who has gotten unprecedented endorsements from Rihanna, Kyle Jenner, Barrack and Michell Obama and more top flight personalities has the highest average rated dancehall album by a Jamaican of all time according to music website Album Of The Year.
With an average score of 78 from 10 major publication reviews, Koffee’s Gifted is the second highest rated dancehall album by music critics of all time.
Gifted, released by Sony Music U.K. RCA label got promotional support with the release of the lead single Pull Up which Koffee performed on Jimmy Fallon and did sold out arenas in the U.S. and U.K.
London Zoo, a mostly dub step album by British musician Kevin Martin who goes by the alias “The Bug” is the highest rated “dancehall” album according to critics’ reviews from major publications around the world. But with the attitude of a star, Koffee waves her cultural flag high coming in second as she unapologetically turn heads by dropping turntable hits after hits over the last 4 years. It’s no wonder Koffee and her music is highly respected by critics all over the globe.
NME Magazine gave the album which was released on March 25, 2023 4 stars and summarizes it as, “The hotly-tipped Jamaican artist, who already has a Grammy to her name, confidently flits between reggae, dancehall and R&B on her assured debut album.”
In a year when more than 100 reggae and dancehall albums were released globally, Koffee’s – “Gifted” Album is the most commercially successful new project by a reggae act in the U.S. according to data provided to WMV by Billboard sales trackers Luminate.
By no means is it the most commercially successful album from a Jamaican dancehall artist, that record is being held by Shaggy’s Hot Shot which has sold 8.8 million units in the U.S. so far. Coming in a distant second is Dutty Rock by Sean Paul. However Koffee’s Gifted has so far clocked 223,000 album equivalent units(with SEA, and with TEA).This includes pure album sales of 1,600 (equalling total on-demand streams (audio + video) of 340 million. according to Data produced to WMV by Data sales tracker Luminate.
The Colombia/RCA recording release debuted at number 2 on the Reggae Billboard chart on the week of April 5 with 3500 total units sold in the US in the first week according to Luminate. At the time the album did 700 in total album sales and 3,290,800 streams in one week. Koffee’s “Gifted” also debuted at number 9 on the UK top 100 albums chart.
The album landed at number 5 on the UK physical albums chart and that gave Koffee the distinction of being the first female Jamaican to make the UK albums chart top ten.
Left up the crisis however, the album is regarded among the best of dancehall.
The Guardian says, “The debut album from Koffee, AKA Mikayla Simpson, skilfully occupies the space between Afrobeats, dancehall and pop,” also with the stamp of a four star.
Rolling Stones Magazine writer Mankaprr Conteh reviews, “Barack Obama and Harry Styles are already fans. Now, the rising Jamaican star is living up to her great expectations with a brilliant album.”
WMV rated the album 4 stars and said, “Koffee’s sound is still fresh and Gifted sweetens the musical pallet, with heartwarming inspiration and soul touching vibrations.”
For the most part, all the publications who reviewed the album agreed with us.
The Evening Standard leads with, “The Grammy-winner’s infectiously positive album is a strong contender for sound of the summer.”
Clash Magazine calls Gifted “An Excellent album” and rates it 8/10. “Koffee’s incredible rise felt wholly natural, the journey of a phenomenal talent who was being recognised in real-time,” the endorsed.
The Telegraph says, “Gifted keeps giving: Koffee achieves a brilliantly confident debut with the promise of more good things to come.”
Pitchfork‘s assessment of the album is summed up as, “Breezy, uplifting, and never forced, the Jamaican reggae star’s debut imbues the ennui and uncertainty of this epoch with much-needed positivity.”
Since Koffee came on the scene she has gotten a lot of label support. After winning the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2020, John Fleckenstein, co-president of RCA said to Rolling Stones “Koffee’s success continues, it’s not gonna end in Jamaica. It’s gonna end on a global level.”
Gifted also landed at No. 11 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, which ranks the sales by new and developing musical recording artists each week.
The UK’s Top 100 biggest artist albums of the week is compiled by the Official Charts Company, based on sales of CDs, downloads, vinyl and weighted audio streams.
Popcaan’s “Forever” released on Mixpak Records on July 20, 2018 is the only other album by a Jamaica in the top ten critics pick. That album has so far earned 116,000 album equivalent units. Of that sum 5000 are pure digital album copies and 179m On-Demand streams according to data provided to WMV by Luminate.
