Another studio LP & the 3rd overall from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee Kofi Stone. Coming up battle rapping in the schoolyards as an adolescent, he would eventually put out his debut single “Stories in Pyjamas” in the summer of 2017 looking back at the lives of individuals close to him & his challenges growing up in an inner-city community. His official full-length studio debut Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does came out a couple years later months prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic & returned a year earlier for the sophomore effort A Man After God’s Own Heart, following it up with All the Flowers Have Bloomed.
“Seeds” kicks things off with this 2 minute intro looking back at when his family moved from Walthamstow, London all the way to Brumtown over a slowed down soul sample whereas “Rainfall” retains the soulfulness talking about a near-death experience he had a decade earlier. “Water” produced by Joe Corfield confesses he feels like there’s some sort of weight pushing down on him prior to “Venice” talking about going to Italy with a woman who hasn’t fallen in love since she was 17.
As for “Chamomile”, we have Kofi expressing his desire for a type of love that completes him & pleading for this chick not to being the one that got away just before “What’s the Plan?” talks about being the right person if they’re looking for someone to make the crowds jam out over a Pitch 92 instrumental. Cactus” ends the 1st half leaning towards a funkier vibe with the beat making it clear that he loves this person for who they are while “Flowers Flow” talks about stacking money until the game’s his.
“Marigold” continues the 2nd leg of the album detailing a relationship where Kofi feels like it was meant to be considering how perfect the connection they have is & confident that she’s his real soulmate but after “Pansy” comes through with a dedication to his father thanking him for believing in his music career, “Boats” thematically takes it all the way back 2 decades earlier talking about the hardships making people stronger if they have the patience for it.
The song “Thorns” pleads for God to remove him from this mess he’s in & contemplating taking his own life while “I Can See Flowers” talks about the latter coming into blossom for a couple minutes. The title track properly concludes All the Flowers Have Bloomed on an upbeat note thanks to former Low Life Records in-house producer Harry Love likening it to the beginning of summer & declaring himself to being the change many would like to see.
Joe Corfield & Pitch 92 have each had a hand in producing some of my favorite joints off both of Kofi Stone’s last couple albums, so them producing a vast majority of All the Flowers Have Bloomed instantly had me sold & it sure enough retains the enjoyability of Nobody Cares ‘Till Everybody Does & A Man After God’s Own Heart. There’s a bit of a contemporary R&B side to the production compared to it’s predecessor, but it doesn’t derail the consciously sincere lyricism he’s been known for in any capacity.
Score: 4/5
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