There are some singers that simply defy description. Angela Bofill (correctly pronounced “bo-FEE”) is one of them. Like Sade, she doesn’t have a great vibrato, or really any vibrato. She’s not gonna shatter glass with her range like Minnie Ripperton. I couldn’t honestly say she ranks with vocal legends like Aretha, but she doesn’t have to. Aretha couldn’t do justice to her music. I think that’s because like many musicians, she brings her life to her music. Her afro-cuban roots are self evident in the music she writes. She’s proud of her heritage, and listening to her music connected me to a facet of my own existence as a person of African descent. Some of her stuff is straight R&B, some is fused with Jazz. All of it is just beautiful! And I’m really super glad that I came up at a time when singers like Angela Bofill, Phyllis Hyman, and others were changing the game with their sultry voices and New York fashion sense. The 90’s were an awesome time to be young in this country. And the music of Angela Bofill was a big reason why.