Remember Nicole Wray from the 90s? Ok, probably not. Unless you were really into 90s R&B; and why would you want to admit such personal information to a complete stranger? Well, Nicole was one of Missy Elliot’s protégés back when Missy was still fat from smoking blunts, back when she was still experimenting with protégés. Gina Thompson, Tweet, Ms Jade, Mocha and Nicole Wray were all Missy’s projects until she got with Ciara around the turn of the millennium. It’s safe to say Ciara (in the absence of Aaliyah) won the spotlight but I always wondered what ever came of Nicole Wray after her only hit single, Make It Hot, back in 1998. I guess this is it. Her voice is rich and soulful and all that but it’s also quite pop. The standard things-you-do-to-me lyrics are performed with a little sassy adorableness that makes you feel a little sad for her. Her image was much freakier than her competitors too. Sigh. I love a good freak.

Thanks to DJ AM for bringing this track to our attention today. AM probably liked the Shaft style soul samples and jacksonesque woooh-weees. He was into that sort of thing. I heard it first on an old club Concorde mix of his from 2004, which I downloaded just this week. I guess his legendary sets will continue to deliver compelling pop classics to lucky listeners forever.