"Off the Hook" is a song by American singer

Jody Watley Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter and producer whose music crosses genres including pop, R&B, jazz, dance and electronic soul.Paoletta, Michael (February 22, 2003) "Watley Relaxes In The Setting of The ...

, released in February 1998 by

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as the first single from the singer's sixth album, ''

Flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

'' (1998). The song was written by Charles Pendleton, Cassandra Lucas, Darryl Floyd and D Reed, and produced by Malik Pendleton. It was the first single released by Watley to reach the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 since 1993, peaking at number 73. The song also reached the ''Billboard''

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart, peaking at number 23 and became her fifth chart topper on the ''Billboard''

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chart. In the UK, "Off the Hook" charted on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 51. A remixed version featuring rapper

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim (), is an American rapper. He is one half of Golden age hip-hop, golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: ''Paid in Full ...

was also released.

Critical reception

A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' remarked that the song "sees her shaking off the dance rhythms of " Real Love" for a more downtempo R&B groove", and added that it "finds the one-time

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

winner at her most seductive with an intimately sensual vocal performance which is the highlight of this rather ordinary track." The magazine's Alan Jones from ''

'' felt that Watley is back "in impressive form" with "a sinewy R&B groove which allows her plenty of room and opportunity to demonstrate that her vocals have improved significantly over the years. A grinding and seductive groove surprisingly featuring a yowling rock guitar at regular intervals."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Off the Hook (Jody Watley Song) Jody Watley songs 1998 singles Atlantic Records singles