This is the 4th studio LP from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee Kofi Stone. Making his full-length debut in 2019 with the jazzy yet lo-fi Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does, the sophomore effort 5 years later A Man After God’s Own Heart retained the sounds of it’s predecessor receiving similar praise & All the Flowers Have Bloomed last fall incorporated more contemporary R&B elements. Somewhat ironic since he officially announced this was since announced as The Last Flower to Bloom almost a week since the tragic passing of the inaugural AEW International Champion, former 2-time AEW World Trios Champion, オープン・ザ・ドリームゲートチャンピオン, オープン・ザ・ブレイブゲートチャンピオン, オープン・ザ・ツインゲートチャンピオン, 3-time オープン・ザ・トライアングルゲートチャンピオン, PWG World Tag Team Champion, 2-time NXT Cruiserweight Champion & 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion Pac.
The title track recalls going from a joyful child to an adult filled with emotional suffering over a soulful boom bap beat whereas “Through My Pain” goes for a more drumless vibe instrumentally hoping this person finds common ground some day over some bare pianos. “Dandelions” produced by Joe Corfield bares his soul on top of this lo-fi beat talking about needing to become free while “Sicily” discusses a trip he & his partner took to Italy.
“Baby Love” continues from there with this laidback dedication to Kofi’s ride or die leading into the 2nd & my personal favorite single “No Way!” hooking up a soulful boom bap instrumental from Pitch 92 so he can ask why people want to break his soul. “Dozen Roses” featuring Wiki links up over a string sample desiring to get acquainted with their lovers’ families just before the self-produced “Kofi Says” soulfully talks about simply making it through the day.
Meanwhile on “Soufflé”, we have Kofi over an organ & some crooning vocals pleading for this woman to give him 1 more chance while the luxuriously soulful boom bap pleaser “Ghostflower” that Pitch 92 cooked up talks about hopes of being everything his date likes. “Where Did We Go Wrong?” posed the very question in the aftermath of a breakup until he tells the story of a 28 year old meeting an Instagram model named “Alissa”.
“Little Flower” ends The Last Flower to Bloom talking about his worries of running out of time despite God knowing everything will sort itself out when it’s all said & done prior to “Gardener Flow” starting a brief deluxe run with a lead single containing 1 last Pitch 92 beat groovily declaring himself the realest of the realest. The other bonus track “Mary’s Gold” properly concludes the album runs it back with Joe Corfield for a jazzy boom bap outro talking about falling in love during the first date.
Becoming one of the UK hip hop scene’s most consistent artists in the last decade, The Last Flower to Bloom celebrates almost an entire year of All the Flowers Have Bloomed with an epilogue that’d go right behind the latter as my 3rd favorite in Kofi Stone’s discography with the debut taking up the #1 spot. The production feels like a combination of the R&B undertones explored throughout the predecessor along with the jazzy, lo-fi boom bap sounds of Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does & A Man After God’s Own Heart, consciously confronting topics like introspection & love from a place of sincerity.
Score: 8/10