# Why Not More?
**Why Not More?** is the debut studio album by American R&B singer and actress [Coco Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/coco-jones), released on April 25, 2025 through Def Jam and High Standardz.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153) The 14-track album followed her 2022 breakout EP *What I Didn't Tell You* and its hit single "ICU," and it was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/8099f3d96317eb6041a55c15ff1b387d) A special edition titled *Why Not More? (More!)* followed on August 15, 2025.[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c04db587-c24b-4b3f-80e6-fcaa1ef54228)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Coco Jones, American R&B singer and actor on the series *Bel-Air*; 27 years old at release, born and raised in Tennessee[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) |
| Release | April 25, 2025; Def Jam / High Standardz; 14 tracks, 41:52[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153) |
| Genre | Contemporary R&B, described as spanning "introspective to seductive, Pop&B to Trap&B"[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) |
| Production | StarGate, London on Da Track, and Jasper Harris, among others; Jones wrote on every song[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) |
| Featured guests | YG Marley on the title track; Future and London on Da Track on "Most Beautiful Design"[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) |
| Charting single | "Here We Go (Uh Oh)" gave Jones her first No. 1 on Billboard's Adult R&B Airplay chart; "Taste" interpolated Britney Spears' "Toxic"[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) |
| Grammy recognition | Nominated for Best R&B Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards[3](https://apnews.com/article/8099f3d96317eb6041a55c15ff1b387d) |
## Background
Jones had worked toward a full-length album for well over a decade. According to AllMusic's Andy Kellman, she had faced "no small number of obstacles" on the way to the milestone, and a series of earlier record deals fell through before she signed with Def Jam.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153) • [5](https://joshherring.substack.com/p/why-not-more-by-coco-jones-album) She told The Associated Press that she first signed a record deal at age 14, years before the recognition that came with her EP *What I Didn't Tell You* (2022).[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60)
That EP set a high bar for the debut. Its deluxe edition was nominated for the 2023 Grammy in the category of Best R&B Album, and at the same ceremony Jones won Best R&B Performance for the platinum hit "ICU" and received two additional nominations.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153) Kellman's review concludes that *Why Not More?* "hardly feels like a first major step from a developing artist" for this reason; it functions as much as a follow-up to the EP as a debut.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153)
The title came from a question Jones posed to herself about creative freedom. Asked by AP what she would make without outside influences or self-imposed restraints, she described the album's mood as "just be fearless," adding that she had felt pressure to outdo "ICU" but reminded herself that she "wasn't trying to win anything."[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) In an interview with *Elle*, she described the record as a reflection of her journey as an artist and as a woman, and said she had been intentional about letting the album develop in public view before its release.[6](https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a64640841/coco-jones-why-not-more-interview/) • [7](https://www.shatterthestandards.com/p/album-review-why-not-more-by-coco)
## Music and lyrics
The album moves across R&B styles rather than committing to one. AP describes a spectrum "from introspective to seductive, Pop&B to Trap&B," with writing credited to Jones on every song and production from StarGate, London on Da Track, and Jasper Harris.[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) AllMusic's review notes there is "neither a concept nor a single interlude" and that featured appearances are kept sparing.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153)
Several tracks engage directly with earlier R&B and pop material. "Here We Go (Uh Oh)," which AllMusic calls a slow jam inspired by Lenny Williams' "'Cause I Love You," carries what the reviewer identifies as mid-1970s echoes. "Taste" interpolates [Britney Spears](https://www.edgepedia.org/britney-spears)' "Toxic," a sample credited on [MusicBrainz](https://www.edgepedia.org/musicbrainz), and "On Sight" nods to peak-era [Timbaland](https://www.edgepedia.org/timbaland). "AEOMG" quotes Luther Vandross from 22 years earlier.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c04db587-c24b-4b3f-80e6-fcaa1ef54228) Later in the track list, "Is It Mine," a duet with Lady London, samples Brandy's "Angel in Disguise."[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c04db587-c24b-4b3f-80e6-fcaa1ef54228)
The guest list is short. [YG Marley](https://www.edgepedia.org/yg-marley) joins the reggae-tinged title track, which AllMusic describes as redolent of [Jazmine Sullivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jazmine-sullivan), and Future appears at "his sympathetic best" on the trap-styled "Most Beautiful Design," produced with London on Da Track.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60)
Themes center on love, boundaries, and self-possession. Jones told AP that "By Myself," a song rejecting codependence and embracing self-love, is "the song that defines me the most," written during a situation she was living through "verbatim." She also cited "Other Side of Love," a ballad about a relationship crossroads, as one of the album's oldest songs, held back until the time was right.[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60)
## Singles and reception
Four singles had been released by the album's launch, according to AP: "Here We Go (Uh Oh)" became Jones's first No. 1 on Billboard's Adult R&B Airplay chart, and "Taste," built on the Spears interpolation, was at No. 15 at the time of the interview.[2](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60) At the Grammy ceremony following the album's release, "Here We Go (Uh Oh)" earned Jones two more nominations, after the album itself entered the Best R&B Album field.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/8099f3d96317eb6041a55c15ff1b387d)
Critical response was favorable and broadly consistent. On the review aggregator Album of the Year, the album holds a critic score of 80 based on three reviews and a user score of 71 based on 584 ratings.[8](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1229792-coco-jones-why-not-more.php) AllMusic scored it 80, with Kellman judging that the record "nonetheless affirms Jones' high standing in her genre" while suggesting it "could use a lighthearted moment or two and more variation in tempo."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153) NME called it "deeper, richer and more wide-ranging than anything we've ever seen from her," and Rolling Stone described a "long-awaited debut" that is "varied, intimate, and always on-message."[8](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1229792-coco-jones-why-not-more.php) The publication Rated R&B placed it at No. 14 on its list of the 25 Best R&B Albums of 2025, calling it "an ambitious statement sure to further cement her name in mainstream R&B conversations."[9](https://ratedrnb.com/2025/12/best-rnb-albums-of-2025/) Recurring criticisms, voiced in individual reviews, concerned formulaic track sequencing and a second half that some writers found more commercially oriented than the front half.[10](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/metal/album/1229792-why-not-more/) • [11](https://hiphophighsociety.com/2025/05/19/album-review-coco-jones-why-not-more/)
## Why Not More? (More!)
A digital special edition, *Why Not More? (More!)*, was released on August 15, 2025.[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c04db587-c24b-4b3f-80e6-fcaa1ef54228) It expands the track list to 22 songs, adding material such as "Control Freak," a remix of "Here We Go (Uh Oh)" with Leon Thomas, a remix of "Other Side of Love" with [Alicia Keys](https://www.edgepedia.org/alicia-keys), and the Brandy-sampling "Is It Mine" with [Lady London](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-london).[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c04db587-c24b-4b3f-80e6-fcaa1ef54228) The original edition's "On Sight" is replaced by "Control Freak" on some physical pressings of the album.[12](https://www.target.com/p/-/A-94635997)
## References
1. [Why Not More? – Coco Jones, review by Andy Kellman, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/why-not-more--mw0004480153)
2. [Coco Jones is fearless on debut album 'Why Not More?', Associated Press (Gary Gerard Hamilton), April 24, 2025](https://apnews.com/article/99cd933623f375c8f5faab879e047f60)
3. [Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, K-pop and more: AP predicts who will win at the 2026 Grammys, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/8099f3d96317eb6041a55c15ff1b387d)
4. [Release "Why Not More? (MORE!)" by Coco Jones, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/c04db587-c24b-4b3f-80e6-fcaa1ef54228)
5. [Why Not More? by Coco Jones | Album Review, Josh Herring, Modern Music Analysis](https://joshherring.substack.com/p/why-not-more-by-coco-jones-album)
6. [Coco Jones on Her Album 'Why Not More?', Colorism, and Representing Black Women, Elle (Keyaira Kelly), May 1, 2025](https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a64640841/coco-jones-why-not-more-interview/)
7. [Album Review: Why Not More? by Coco Jones, Jamila W., Shatter the Standards, April 24, 2025](https://www.shatterthestandards.com/p/album-review-why-not-more-by-coco)
8. [Coco Jones – Why Not More?, Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1229792-coco-jones-why-not-more.php)
9. [The 25 Best R&B Albums of 2025, Rated R&B](https://ratedrnb.com/2025/12/best-rnb-albums-of-2025/)
10. [Coco Jones – Why Not More? review by Metal, Album of the Year user review](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/metal/album/1229792-why-not-more/)
11. [Album Review: Coco Jones – Why Not More, Hip Hop High Society (DeeWeb), May 19, 2025](https://hiphophighsociety.com/2025/05/19/album-review-coco-jones-why-not-more/)
12. [Coco Jones – Why Not More? (CD), Target listing and customer reviews](https://www.target.com/p/-/A-94635997)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › R&B and soul albums › 2020s R&B albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license