Assorted Phlavors formed as a female R&B quartet whose members—LaKisha Johnson, Julia Garrison, Tiffany Phinazee, and Antonia Bryant—blend R&B, jazz, and hip-hop into emotionally charged, sensual performances. Among the songs the group has recorded are the well-received tracks “Be Patient,” “Tell Me,” and “Don't Let Go.” The singers first came together in the early 1990s while still attending high school, each contributing prior stage experience that shaped their emerging sound. Garrison had already sung in both church and school settings when she encountered Bryant, a Yonkers, New York native who had been performing since the age of twelve. The lineup was completed by Phinazee, who had appeared at school and in public venues and who captured first prize at an Apollo Theater amateur night, and by Johnson, a graduate of the Westchester Conservatory of Music. Performing at that time under the name Essence, the quartet won a talent contest that prompted them to pursue professional recording. After the foursome signed with Hall of Fame Records in 1995, they adopted the name Assorted Phlavors and moved away from their earlier gospel-oriented image toward a more robust and adaptable presentation. Their self-titled debut album, produced by Dave “Jam” Hall, fuses jazz, classical, R&B, and hip-hop elements and achieved immediate commercial notice. Among its tracks are the ballad “First You Said,” the soul-infused lover’s song “Don't Let Go,” “Hiding Place” (which features vocals by dancer Patra and first appeared on the Money Train soundtrack), and “Trust,” a Gordon Chambers composition originally issued on the Anita Bryant Brownstone label. The group also recorded “Love Ballad,” a song first released under the same title in 1976. The quartet’s appeal rests on the interplay of harmony, emotion, and sensuality across its recordings, with each member supplying a distinct contribution while sharing a common dedication to vocal performance.
