Monica, Angel of Mine | COVERS

In the 4^th  edition of COVERS (2024), Monica delivers a compelling rendition of “Angel of Mine,” originally performed by Eternal.

Ah, it’s time to get cozy and totally cover up! In COVERS, we highlight a musician or band covering songs by another musician (likely a popular musician). COVERS focuses solely on the musician who covers, as opposed to the original/most famous performer.  It is open to both established musicians and musicians who may not be as well-known. In the 4^th edition of COVERS (2024), Monica delivers a compelling rendition of “Angel of Mine”, originally performed by Eternal.

“You came into my life / Sent from above / When I lost all hope / You showed me love…” Grammy-winning R&B artist Monica landed multiple big-time hits in her heyday.  The biggest, of course, is the song she won her sole Grammy for, “The Boy is Mine” alongside Brandy, which spent 13 weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  That said, her 1998 album, fittingly titled, The Boy Is Mine, was stacked with gems, including the sixth track, “Angel of Mine”.  A platinum certified single from a multiplatinum album, “Angel of Mine” spent four weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999. The ballad was written by Rhett Lawrence and Travon Potts.  However, Monica was not the original performer. Those honors belonged to British R&B group, Eternal, who earned a top-five hit on the UK charts. Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins ultimately produced the version I grew up by Monica.

Why is “Angel of Mine” the cat’s meow – rad AF? It begins and ends with Monica. Her voice is stunning – beautiful, refined, and rich. She sings with authenticity, which sells the angelic vibes that this boy is giving off.  “I look at you looking at me / Now I know why they say / The best things are free,” she sings in the first verse, adding, “I’m gonna love you, boy / You are so fine, angel of mine.” It should be noted that Monica was a teenager when she released the song, but, her ‘feels’ are, well, ‘feeling!’ “Last night, the way you moved is still on my mind,” she sings in verse two, capping it off with, “Angel of mine.” Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, where she’s thankful for his love, which is, “right on time.” Besides awesome vocals, tuneful melodies, and memorable songwriting, the production and sound of the record constructed by Jerkins is perfect. Idiomatic of the 90s, that rhythmic guitar and warm keyboard touches take me back (hopefully, you too)! So does the beat for that matter.  “Angel of Mine”, courtesy of Monica remains a bop, approaching three decades (!) later!

🎙 Monica • 💿 The Boy is Mine • 🏷 Arista • 🗓 1998

Monica, Angel of Mine: Covers No. 4 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner /The Musical Hype; Arista; Andrea Piacquadio, cottonbro studio, MART PRODUCTION, Matteo Milan from Pexels; MR1313, OpenClipart-Vectors, Vicki Hamilton from Pixabay]