"Hooked on You" by Sweet Sensation

Song#:  2984
Date:  01/17/1987
Debut:  96
Peak:  64
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Dance-Pop, Freestyle



Pop Bits:  This female vocal trio from The Bronx consisted of Betty LeBron and sisters Margie and Mari Fernandez. A chance encounter with the hip hop group The Boogie Boys ("A Fly Girl," #6 R&B, 1985) got them hooked up with Boys member Joe "Romeo J.D." Malloy, who began working with the trio along with producer David Sanchez. Among the first songs they worked on was one titled "Could It Be." This tuned ended up getting reworked and turned into "Hooked on You." The song helped the trio get signed to the indie dance label Next Plateau Records and it was issued out as single. The tune got a little bit of attention and was able to spend three months on the Pop chart. A second single, "(Goodbye Baby) Victim of Love," made a minor dent on the Dance chart at #44. The results were good enough to draw major label interest and the trio signed on with ATCO and began work on a debut album.

ReduxReview:  Sweet Sensation were among the first of the 80s/90s cluster of female vocal groups doing freestyle and other varieties of dance/R&B music. Soon would come Exposé, Seduction, En Vogue, etc. Several of the groups were assembled for projects by songwriters/producers. While Sweet Sensation were pretty much already a group, their songs were mainly written and/or produced by Malloy, Sanchez and Ted Currier. The team didn't necessarily offer anything new, but they did a pretty good job on this track. It had a good chorus and it featured a clean, 80s freestyle production. The solo vocal is a little on the weak side, but the voices together were nice and strong. While it was not a standout, it was a good introduction for the trio.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  If you were thinking that this song did better on the chart than #64, you are right. Their debut album's fourth single "Sincerely Yours," would be their breakthrough hit reaching #14 early in '89. The label thought the hit needed a follow up and decided to release a remixed version of "Hooked on You." It would end up doing much better on its second go-around getting to #23 in the summer of '89. 

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